Outcast
by DonofLolz
Summary: They called me 'a work of art.' They took me under their wing and raised me to the height of glory before stabbing me in the back and throwing me into the dirt. I am Captain Arashi. I am the death of the Soul Society.
1. Chapter 1

I walk tall, proud, even after all this time. This is my domain, the Muenos bow and shy away from my each footstep. They know it and I know it. Instant death awaits them should they impede me in this place. They were once persistent, aggressive animals towards me. Training is important to animals. They must learn, through the course of nature, who is the master. I am undoubtedly the master. But it wasn't always like this. These things were on me from the moment I arrived. Now look at them, cowering in the dark. I give my grey and black surroundings a sweeping glance and sigh as my fingers tease the hilt of my blade. Hueco Mundo. How, when, did you become my home? I look up to the high, bleak cliffs and spot my home, no more than a random black hole in the side of a grey cliff to any curious Hollow. I don't have the energy to jump up there; it's been a tiring day. I'll just take the stairs. I stomp up the worn stone and stop suddenly. Not for the first time in this place, a tear pricks my eye and rolls down my cheek.

I take a seat high above the ground and watch the silent, still landscape. I carved these steps after I had been here for one month. It was so rough and jagged I could barely step on it without tearing up my clothes. Now look at them, they're nearly a slope, the ridges no more than periodic bumps. I shake myself and stand, angrily brushing the tears from my eyes, but they just keep falling. I reach the cave mouth and feel a tug at my heart. I didn't make a cave to squat in; I made a palace that befitted my rule over this desolate domain. It was finished after a year. I walk slowly through my entrance hall, the walls decorated with the scratches of falling stone that I smashed from the ceiling. I left nothing undone, not even the huge stone doors that would take an age to break down. Boredom and madness will do that to you. I feel a little shock and realise something; this was the first time in a long, long time that I had ever outwardly expressed my emotion. It's been so long since I had felt anything. I slip through the huge doors and let them clunk closed quietly, lounging in my throne. I manage a cynical laugh as I look up the cushioned back that is made of rock. What drove me to this?

"Not much happened today, Len." I say to my friend. He sits on his pedestal, as he always did. He didn't answer. "Not talking to me today? You still sore about the whole beheading thing?" The skull in the bone helmet gave no reply, but a little dust did fall from the left eye socket. At least that was something.

"Hey, now that I think about it, there was something different today." Even if Len was giving me the silent treatment, I'd still talk. It was partially what kept me together, despite it making you insane in the real world. "Something's wrong with the Muenos. I think they were watching me. Not just glancing as I walked though, I mean actually scouting me. When I got back, they all just ran off in the same direction." I turn the skull and pick it up, jolting my arm to make his jaw move.

"Maybe they were going to ask if they could have me back but got a little shy." I laugh at my own joke. Maybe I had fallen harder from sanity than I thought.

"Oh, of course you have." Mocked the skull. "You're insane, but you're sane enough to know it. Having fun?" My lips purse as I get bored, once again.

"I think they betrayed you, Len, back when you called for help and they ran away. Betrayal hurts, doesn't it?" I nod sadly, remembering their promise. Their broken promise.

"We're in that boat together, my friend. It hurts."

Just as I start to sink into a pit of loathing, fate decides to mock me a little more, taking sick pleasure in teasing me as a gateway tore itself open before me, showing the sunset over a city that was far in the future since I had last walked it. The escape is right in front of me, but I don't move. There isn't any point. Yes, the world of the living floats not ten feet away from me, but nothing I ever did would get me through it. My body, my spirit, not even my bankai could shatter that invisible wall that bars me from my freedom. In the past, I had even reigned in multiple Muenos' and beat them into my service. I had used my shikai and bankai to make them open multiple gateways into the world of the living for me. It never worked. So why would this one be different? I look through the strange tear in space and my anger returns. How dare these people have such happy lives whilst I sit in this desolate place and rot?

"It wasn't my fault!" I bellow at the tear, voicing my anger so my voice resounds through my stone prison. "_They_ betrayed _me_!" I grab the skull beside me and hurl it at the portal. It hit the ground with a clunk and a crack on the other side. I don't register at first, just stare in disbelief. It went through. Something that wasn't a Hollow went through. I stand slowly, a disbelieving smile slowly growing on my face as my heart begins to thunder in my chest. I stand at the entrance to what could be my freedom, when a single warm gust graces my skin. My hand shakes as I reach out for the dirty brick wall. I close my eyes... And I feel. I open my eyes and my hand is there, in the human world. For the first time in centuries, I laugh, I truly laugh. I slowly wade my way through and I hear sounds, smell scents.

"It's real! I'm free!" I embrace the world, and collapse. My body starts to slow and I fall hard. I'm dying. But at least I'll die free.

No. No, I'm not going to die now. I didn't come this far to fail now, I've spent centuries in that hell hole, why should I just accept death. I'm still intact, for now at least. Feeling my kimono weighing me down, I slump on the floor and concentrate. I'm so weak and I can barely see, but I can still attract some attention. I tense my body and shake the earth, my spiritual pressure booming like a beacon. I can only wish that someone will find me.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun in the town was like any other day and Yuorichi enjoyed it. She stretched out and yawned widely, her claws gently scratching against the tiles of the roof. She was nearly asleep on the warm black surface when she felt something odd; A sudden, distant pulse of spiritual energy, far more powerful than any of her friends.

"Could it be... a Muenos Grande?" Nothing caught her attention; the city went on as usual. Suddenly, another pulse of energy flared up and disappeared, an invisible wave of force making all the mortals below stumble and fall in synchronisation.

"This isn't good." She mumbled to herself, taking across the rooftops as fast as she could. The others would pick up on the activity sooner or later, but she needed to act right now, before that monstrosity could hurt anyone. People began to panic and scream, running away from this sudden, unpredicted earthquake.

Every now and then, Yuorichi stopped and perched on the edge of a rooftop, not needing to concentrate at all as she neared the epicentre of the roaming earthquake. She ascended to a gutter and waited for a sign of the silent Hollow. Where had it gone all of a sudden? It had just dropped off the face off the-

The gutter snapped and the cat fell, yowling and thrashing in surprise. Wherever this thing was, it was within a stone's throw. Yuorichi looked around in panic, searching the skies for the beast, but there was nothing. No birds or people had been stupid enough to stay in their dangerously rattling homes, so, after the wide-spread quake had stopped, there was silence. If Yuroichi had moved or breathed in that one second, she probably would never have found him. Her ears pricked and her body went rigid as she heard a single, weak, shaky breath.

Any thoughts of moving disappeared. She strained her ears as hard as she could. There it was again. Someone over to her right was definitely breathing weakly. The breathing turned to a growl, then to a sudden below, the city trembling once again. She lightly leapt up onto the roof of a cheap, low-income compound and looked down into a dingy, filthy alley. There, lying amongst the trash and filth, was someone who Yuorichi had long thought dead, put out of her mind for many, many years. She focused and turned back to a human, making the figure look up wearily, his head drooping. Naked, Yuorichi approached him. She didn't feel uncomfortable; it was just her and him.

"You." He breathed, before his head fell. She ran over to him and checked him over. He wasn't injured but he was weak, nearly dead. Without a moment's thought, she pulled an arm over her shoulders and began to flash-step him through the city, spiking her own spiritual pressure. Within minutes of walking with the sun on her body, Urahara turned up, blade drawn and ready for the fight. He opened his mouth to speak to Yuorichi, but his eyes then landed on her passenger. He slowly took off his hat and walked over to his to the pair, gawping at the unconscious boy.

"Yuorichi... Is that who I think it is?" Yuorichi nodded, allowing Kisuke a moment to compose himself and shut his mouth. Without another word, Urahara took his other arm and the three advanced through the city.

Jinta was bored. So very, very bored. He leaned heavily on his broom and picked his nose whilst Ururu went on with her chores.

"Um, Jinta? Don't you think you should help with-"

"What do you think the boss is doing out there?"

"Um, I'm not sure, but he's gonna be really mad if-"

"That sure was some weird spiritual pressure. It was all over the place. Like, rising and falling."

"Jinta-"

"I KNOW!" He turned on her and whacked at her legs with the broom, making her run and squeal. God, why did she have to be so annoying?

"Hey! Knock that off!" Boomed Tessai from the shop's door. "The boss'll be back soon and he better not see you two fighting." Jinta groaned and went back to staring into space. He wished he could just leave the shop when he wanted. What did Urahara do anyway? He just lounged around, waiting for the rare customer to come along whilst Jinta was worked like his slave, sweeping and cleaning and moving heavy boxes around. Urahara got to take out his sword whenever he wanted and got all the money from the sales, whilst Jinta-

"Tessai! Give us a hand!" Jinta's head shot up and he saw Urahara walking at a weird angle. That cat woman was with him too, leaning against him, looking out of breath with sweat pouring off her head. The giant in glasses took long, bounding strides towards the two, who seemed to be dragging a weight between them. Tessai hesitated, looming over their load, before stooping down and picking up the figure.

Yuorichi and Urahara ran ahead, Tessai walking oddly to keep his load from bouncing on his huge shoulders. Without a word of explanation, Urahara charged past the two children and started banging around in the kitchen, letting Ururu and Jinta get a good look at the object. Even from a distance, they could see glimpses of what seemed to be a white cape on a short figure's shoulders, an affixed hood covering the head. Tessai strode past them and cleared the courtyard with a dozen strides, but even his speed couldn't hide the symbol on his back. As the giant disappeared inside the door, Ururu caught the mark on the strange captain's kimono.

"Hey, Jinta?"

"Yeah, what?" He snapped, but Ururu just kept on staring at the door, unfazed by the rudeness.

"How many captain squads were there again?"

"What? What are you going on about now? There's thirteen, how did you not now that?" He pursed his lip and grinned, basking in his own superior glow. She wasn't paying attention.

"But, there was a '14' symbol on his back. Didn't you see it?"


	3. Chapter 3

His breath was shaking and his body was barely holding together. Yuroichi still hadn't stopped shaking since she found him lying amongst the dirt. When Tessai had laid him on the futon, she had unclipped the buckle around his neck and taken away his filthy cloak. When compared to his skin, the cape, neck and hood almost looked darker. He looked pale and thin as he did back before his imprisonment, but now he looked like he was at Death's door. She gently took a wet cloth and dabbed his head, wiping away the sweat and the grime. She took the cloth away and sighed sadly as she realised another fact; he was filthy, covered in sharp granules of what smelled like powdered concrete. She sighed and gently loosened his kimono, washing his neck and chest as each touch made his eyelids flicker. But, as she washed him like an aunt would a nephew, she couldn't help but smile. He was back. He had survived. She wiped away the last of the grey dust and smiled broadly down at him. His breath was getting stronger and his hands started to twitch. Urahara gently lifted his head by his neck and poured some water into his lips. He seemed to drink but his eyes didn't open, nor did he make a move.

"Well, can't say I was expecting this when I felt that spiritual pressure." Urahara shifted his hat. "Then again, who else would have that kind of power-" Yuorichi laughed softly.

"Is that a joke? What power? This is nothing compared to what he used to be like." As they reminisced in silence once again, the shop's door slid open.

"Ah, Miss. Kuchiki. The boss is in the back. I think you might want to stay here, Ichigo." Tessai's deep voice floated in with the wind.

"What? Why?" Ichigo, as always, jumped straight to the defensive.

"Oh, keep your voice down. This might be something to do with my gigai, nothing for you to get all sensitive over." Rukia's light footsteps approached the door and Yuorichi couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"Okay Urahara, what's so important that you need to send-" Rukia froze as she ducked into the room and eyed the boy lying in the bed.

"Is-" Her mouthed worked a few times before she moved forwards slowly and found the words. "Is that-?" Urahara nodded. Never before in her life had Rukia Kuchiki collapsed into tears so quickly. She dropped to her knees beside Yuroichi and wrapped her arms around the boy's neck and pulled his limp body into a tight embrace, sobbing openly and without shame into his shoulder. It must have been all the noise that did it, or maybe he felt the girl's presence near, but the boy's eyes started to flicker. Rukia gasped and cradled him to her, watching avidly as he started to moan and twist. Slowly, his eyes began to open, slowly focusing on Rukia's open smile.

"Rukia?" His words were barely more than a mumble, but she was sure she heard them. She nodded avidly as the world slowly got into focus.

"Welcome back." Urahara reached out and patted the boy's shoulder, making his head slowly turn in Rukia's arms. His hand reached up and he gently gripped the green kimono. He whispered something hoarsely, making Urahara lean in to hear better. "What was that?"

"I said," Came a growled reply as the grip suddenly tightened around his arm. "No thanks to YOU!" He suddenly bellowed, standing shakily and hurling Urahara through the door like a doll, straight through the shop and out into the courtyard, where he lay dazed and covered in dust.

"What are you doing?" Cried Rukia, backing away from the heavily panting boy, who haphazardly stumbled through the shop, falling against countless items as he went. His spiritual pressure rose from captain to human with every step he took, making their ears roar and pop constantly.

"How could you, Kisuke?" He roared, punching Urahara hard in the nose as he tried to yell over the boy's growls. Urahara tumbled and stood again, just in time to face the barrage of unforgiving and drunken punches, most of which smashed straight through his blocks and into his gut. He rose just in time to catch the next punch with blood streaming down his face.

"I trusted you! You promised you would help me!"

"Stop this!" The boy turned from his target and faced the woman standing behind him.

"500 years, Yuroichi!" He roared at her, advancing with his finger pointing accusingly as she held up her hands. He grabbed her clothes and dragged her down to his height, almost leaning on her for balance. "500 years I waited for the two of you to help me! You said I was your friend!"

"You are, we-"

"And yet you left me to die in that place! Every day I told myself, 'I don't need to worry, I trust them, they won't go back on their promise.' It's a little hard to keep saying that to yourself after the first century in that place! So tell me, say it loud so all these people can hear, why, WHY, did you turn your back on your friend when I needed you the most? Why did you betray me?" His voice lingered, ringing out in the silence as the woman remained silent. The boy wobbled on the spot as a knee gave way, his spiritual pressure dropping to near-nothing. Yuroichi waited for a few seconds, ready to dive out of the way of the next punch or kick when the pressure rose again, but it never did. It just grew fainter as he panted in the dust, one fist keeping him up. He's not a threat, Yuroichi decided, not anymore. She kneeled beside him and lifted his chin up. He was crying, but he locked those unfathomable eyes onto hers nonetheless.

"Why did you leave me, Yuroichi?" He asked in a hurt whisper, barely able to keep upright but he still didn't look away from her. His legs quaked again and he fell into her arms, barely able to stay awake. As she gently helped him back into the shop, Urahara went to wipe his nose, leaving Ichigo alone with Tessai and the kids.

"Um, what the hell just happened?" He asked, unsure of what to make of the spiritual pressure and the somehow familiar boy.

"Well, that guy you just saw, the boss and Yuroichi go back a while. Just let them get it out of their system, they'll be alright. I think there's a few... misunderstandings between them."

"Um... Alright, but what's up with Rukia?" Tessai shifted uncomfortably as the door closed the four of them in.

"I think she'll want to tell you when she's ready."

The silence was worse than a thousand nails on a chalkboard in the back room as the boy struggled to keep his eyes open.

"Look, let us explain what happened." Yuroichi said softly as Rukia helped him drink again.

"I await it with baited breath." He hissed with venom, glaring at her. She, the former captain of the Punishment Squad, broke and looked away under the eyes of a boy who was barely conscious. Yuroichi took a deep breath and filled him and Rukia in on what had happened, why the promise could not be fulfilled. By the time she had finished, the boy had propped himself up and was looking better, but still ill.

"I see. Well, if you tried a hard as you say you did, I believe you. I'm- I'm sorry, to the both of you. I shouldn't have lost it like that." Urahara and Yuroichi nodded silently to his apology, silence creeping in once more. Suddenly, the boy started to chuckle to himself, then out loud, then burst into laughter. Within seconds, he was clutching his sides and rocking back and forth like a mad man, laughing hysterically.

"Hey guys!" He said with a huge smile, his arms open, "Surprise! I'm back!" Still laughing, he leaned forward and pulled them all into a tight hug, bringing the rest of them to laughter. "Oh, it's good to be home!"

Ichigo just couldn't work anything out. He went over it in his head for the fortieth time. There was a blast of spiritual pressure, so Yuroichi goes to investigate it. She finds a kid in Soul Reaper clothes and meets up with Urahara and they both drag this guy back to Urahara's shop. Then, Rukia wakes him and he throws Urahara over fifty feet into the dirt and busts his nose without receiving even a shove in return. _Then_, they all go back into the first room and talk for half an hour non-stop before having a laughing riot. What was with this guy? Who, and what, was he?

"Here, let me help you."

"Thanks. I remember the last time you did this; I sprained my ankle running straight down that hill near home. Do you remember that?" Ichigo's head turned impatiently to see Rukia helping the boy out of the back room and to the table that look out of the door.

"Tessai, could you make us all some lunch?" Urahara and Yuroichi cautiously accompanied him, sitting with him at the table.

"You got it, boss." They continued to talk easily about memories that only he and Rukia seemed to share, giving Ichigo, Ururu and Jinta and chance to get a better look at him. His had thick locks of snow white hair that sweeped along his brow with every movement of his head. And his face, indeed his whole form, was a little too far on the skinny side. But there was something about his eyes that Ichigo thought so familiar, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Here you go." Tessai entered again, his arms laden with a huge amount of rice bowls. "Make sure you eat up now. You're our guest and you looked a little starved." The boy chuckled.

"Why thank you, Tessai was it? Yes, I knew I recognised you. Urahara and Yuroichi used to talk about you a lot. Good things, my friend, good things." Tessai flushed a little and turned back to the kitchen. The boy eyed the food before him.

"Not hungry?" Asked Yuroichi, flicking a stray lock of his hair away from his eyes. He considered the dishes before him before, quite literally, pouring bowl after bowl of rice into his mouth, barely pausing to swallow.

"Wow!" He said, panting after the first three top-full bowls, his eyes alight. "I forgot how good food tasted!" As the tower of empty bowls quickly grew, Yuroichi chuckled.

"Say, what did you eat in... you know." After gulping down at least two kilograms of nothing but boiled rice in one go, he turned to her.

"This and that." He answered vaguely, savouring each bite of a tiny roast fish as if it were the last thing on Earth. After he had successfully cleared the table, a little colour had dropped into his cheeks. He bowed his head and flourished his wrist.

"I am in debt of your hospitality, Kisuke." He looked up, smiling happily as Ichigo caught his eye. Ichigo froze and waited for him to say something, but he didn't say a word. He didn't move either, neither of them did.

"So, are staring competitions policy when you meet a stranger or...?" He asked politely, laughing a little as he spoke. Ichigo realised that he was staring too and promptly look at the floor, feeling a little stupid. He grumbled a 'no' out, but the boy didn't seem to be paying attention anymore. He was looking down at his exposed chest that his loose kimono was showing.

"Hey, who's smudged me? Wait." He leaned over a little further a stared at his chest. "Has someone been drawing on me?" He started to wipe at his face, checking his hands.

"No, I washed you like the dirty pup you are. You're filthy. You were covered in this grey powder stuff." The boy looked up with a sly grin at Yuroichi's comment.

"So you washed me, eh? A pup, am I? If I'm your pup, does that mean you're my bit-" Rukia clamped her hand over his mouth and he fell backwards, his laughter muffled through her fingers.

"I think that's quite enough of that." She warned him whilst Ichigo started to laugh too. If Ichigo had tried that, Yuroichi and Rukia would have beaten him to a pulp. Instead, he was silenced by Rukia and got a sly, slightly evil grin from Yuroichi. How was he on such good terms with them? The boy turned to Ichigo, his smile still plastered onto his face.

"Ah, so Senor Stare has a good sense of humour?" He cocked his head and re-tied his kimono. "I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced."

"Oh, this is Ichigo Kurosaki." Reported Rukia as the boy reached for Ichigo's hand.

"Oh?" His eyes turned suspicious and his hand locked on the shake like steel. "So, Mr Kurosaki, what exactly is your relation to Rukia?" Ichigo's eyes widened.

"What, you think that we're together? Oh, no! Nothing like that!" He laughed nervously as he looked back up. The boy's smile was gone, instead replaced with a stern, stare with eyes that looked straight into Ichigo.

"Good, because if you ever touch my sister," He gave a big grin suddenly, "I'll break your arms off!" Ichigo sat stunned for a few seconds at the threat before he realised what the boy had actually said.

"Whoa, back up a sec! Did you just say Rukia's your SISTER?" The boy nodded politely to the now-standing Ichigo.

"My name's Arashi. Nice to meet you, Ichigo. What, my sis never told you about me?" He gave a short, bark-like laugh. "What's the matter Rukia? Forgotten me whilst I was... in..." He lost his momentum and finished slightly awkwardly, causing him to phase out for a second. He cleared his throat and mumbled, "That wasn't in very good taste, my bad." He glanced around, looking a little lost.

"So, this is Karakura town?" He looked out of the door, to the houses and telephone poles. It's changed a bit since I was last here. Then again, I bet plenty's changed."


	4. Chapter 4

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a sec here, how can you be Rukia's brother?"

"Well you see Ichigo, when a man loves a woman very much-" Ichigo's face burned.

"SHUDDUP! I meant you don't look- Your hair's the wrong colour!" Arashi kept on smiling and shrugged.

"We got that a lot from our friends back in our childhood. Some even went as far to say I was a blessing, or a curse, to my family. The best one's gotta be that Rukia and I are actually a set pair, sent to punish the world. My hair is white and I smile, so I am an angel sent to protect those who have not sinned and escort them to the next life, whilst Rukia's hair is black and she's always scowling- OW!" Arashi rubbed his sore head whilst his sister pouted, "So she's my opposite, thus a demon. However, the reason is very simple; when I was born, I inherited my father's prematurely white hair." He smiled and took a sip of his tea, watching the birds hop outside. "Not what you were expecting?" He laughed a little at Ichigo's still shocked face, but jumped a little at a sudden ringing next to him.

"Good grief, what's that irritating noise?" He stared at the phone-like object in Rukia's hand with distaste.

"It's a Hollow detector. When I'm in my gigai, this is the only way I can receive orders and track Hollows, but we don't need to worry, someone else will handle him."

"You mean, even though you're still a little weak you couldn't smell that Hollow? His odour's repulsive, I'm surprised the humans can't smell him." Arashi cast a look around and scratched his neck.

"Wait... Did I..." He got up slowly and started to meander around the shop rather aimlessly, peering into rooms at random.

"What are you trying to find, Arashi?" Called Urahara, making the boy pop his head around the corner of the stock room.

"Um, when you found me, was I wearing my cloak?" Yuroichi stood and escorted him into the back room, giving Ichigo the chance to talk to Urahara and Rukia without fear of the strange boy hearing him.

"Hey, Urahara, how do you know this guy?"

"Well Ichigo, we go a while back. It'd be more of a history lesson if I were to go into it." Ichigo didn't say a word. "Alright, we worked together quite a lot in the Society."

"So he IS a Soul Reaper! How did you know him? Was he one of your men?" Urahara rubbed his hat and pushed it down over his eyes,

"Well, not exactly." The door opened and Yuroichi and Arashi emerged, the boy now wearing a white hood connected to what looked like a white scarf.

"What's that you're wearing?" Arashi raised his eyebrow,

"Substitute Soul Reaper like you? I would have thought you could tell a mile off. Anyway, I'm going to go for a stroll, maybe drop in on that Hollow if I'm up to it. If you two aren't busy, perhaps you could give e a tour?" He smiled politely to Ichigo and Rukia who stood.

"Are you sure you're okay to walk? You still don't look too good." Ichigo looked him up and down with concern; he was still so pale, but he waved his hand dismissively.

"I'll be fine." He gave a grin as wide as a shark's, bowing his left shoulder to show off the hilt of his sword. He started to walk and shielded his eyes from the sun as he took a deep breath, allowing Ichigo to gawp like a moron at his back. It wasn't some weird scarf, it was an old-fashioned cloak that he'd made out of a captain's kimono. But that wasn't all that Ichigo was gawping at. He was more surprised at the '14' symbol printed on the back.

"Hey, are- What- How-"

"Are you two coming or am I going solo on this one?" He called to the two, making Rukia elbow him and run to catch up to her sibling.

"I'm sure he'll explain when he's ready to." Urahara advised quietly. "It's been a bad experience for him, just give him a little time to recover." Ichigo nodded. Anything that made Urahara talk in such a serious manner was bound to be serious.

* * *

><p>"This is scout party 13-D, reporting in. The target has been sighted and confirmed. How should we proceed?" Reported the scout from the trees, keeping its spiritual pressure low whilst the small party walked steadily out of their safe house and hopped lightly onto the rooftops.<p>

"Stay out of sight until he's in the open. We can't risk anyone swooping in t help him out, so make sure he's as far away from the safe house as you can get him before striking. Any problems, report it and we'll send someone to walk you out. If you don't radio in within 10 minutes, we're sending someone in."

"Understood. Soifon out." The woman brushed her ear piece and signed to the troops. The captain and her Punishment Force moved through the trees like shadows, preparing to kill the traitor.

"I've got you this time." She breathed to herself as she stalked through the brush. "I'll win this one."

* * *

><p>"So, this is Karakura town, huh?" They walked easily along the rooftops in no hurry, letting the injured boy take his time strolling with his hair being shifted gently by the breeze. "She's certainly changed a lot since I last came here. These roads were made of dirt back then. The dogs got awfully restless when I walked by." He said in an off-hand way. Ichigo was burning to ask his questions, but he held himself back. There was a sudden roar above their heads, the Hollow blocking out the sun as it circled high over the town. Ichigo went to draw his sword, but Arashi just laughed.<p>

"Mind if I take this one? The exercise will do me good." The huge bat-like creature landed hard on the roof with a crash and roared at the boy, who remained smiling.

"Oh dear, you're an awful noising thing, aren't you. Sit, my pet." Ichigo's legs wobbled as the spiritual pressure suddenly skyrocketed, forcing the Hollow's flimsy arm to strain and nearly break. It gave in and its face crashed to the floor, the boy still smiling.

"Good. You're learning fast. Now die." He said, his tone never wavering. The pressure went even further, making the roof tiles crack slightly, though the Hollow was in an even worse state. Ichigo watched in mild horror as the beast tried to hobble away, but the gravity that surrounded it broke its body to as pathetic, tangled mess of limbs and flesh before its mask finally broke, silencing its pained cries.

"Hmm, that was disappointing." He commented in a bored way, continuing his slow pace. "What a fragile little thing. I almost feel a little sorry for it." Rukia cleared her throat.

"Not that it's really my place to say, but shouldn't you have cut the head in half like we're taught?" He turned his head to her and stared in an odd way.

"A Hollow? Of that level?" He stared in disbelief and confusion. "You want me to reach all the way over my shoulder, take my sword out of it casing, and actually swing for the Hollow? That's... that's just unnecessary..." After a few seconds silence, they continued their stroll.

"Wait a second." Ichigo ran up to Arashi's side, making the boy smile up to him. He was only just as tall as Rukia. "How did you do that? You were barely standing up a minute ago and you just crushed that thing without even touching it!" Arashi shrugged again.

"I'm not wearing this cape for shits and giggles, you know. I earned it through..." He didn't finish his sentence. His attention wandered again, like it did back in Urahara's shop. He shook his head and blinked, continuing the walk, Ichigo and Rukia sticking by his side. "Maybe I'll tell you some other time. But for now, tell me about you. How are you connected with the Society after your powers were found?" His eyes turned to suspicious slits as he eyed the Soul Reaper pendant on his belt.

"Uh, well, after me and my friends busted Rukia out of the Soul Society, they gave me this badge so I could protect my friends when the Hollows attack-"Arashi wasn't paying attention anymore. He had turned with a suspicious look to Rukia.

"He 'busted you out?' What does he mean, 'busted you out?'" She shook her head to Ichigo and met her brother's stare.

"I'll tell you some other time." She said sternly, turning her head slightly. Ichigo knew that look; she wasn't saying a word more, and it seemed Arashi knew it too.

"Well, alright, but you two need to fill me in on what's going on. I'm hearing these words and they're not linking in a way that's logical to me." The streets suddenly got a little louder as Ichigo spotted a large group of students climbing off a bus and heading home.

"Hey, Ichigo, who are these people? Arashi was perched on the edge of a gutter behind them, peering into the crowd and pointing. "I think he's waving at us." Ichigo crouched beside him and followed his finger. It didn't take him long to see who he was referring to: Keigo was wind-milling his arms madly at jumping on the spot like a diseased bird, screaming his lung out and nearly punching the passers-by.

"Hey, Ichigo! Have you made a new friend with the film cast? Who's the little guy?" Ichigo and Arashi sat dumbfounded for different reasons.

"Did he just say cast-"

"Did he just call me little guy-" They both stopped and shared and look that was an odd mixture of horror and confusion.

"How odd. That human can see-" Ichigo bundled him out of view and grabbed Rukia's jacket. With astonishing luck, Mizuiro elbowed his friend and finally looked up from his phone in time to see an empty rooftop.

"Quit shouting at a cat, people'll think you're insane."

"But- Didn't you see that kid in the cape?" Mizuiro stared at him for a few seconds, eyebrow raised.

"Keigo, look at me, okay?" He said slowly, making sure his friend understood every word. "Are there any other superheroes here that you can see? Am I a superhero?" Keigo was hurt.

"What do you mean? Didn't you see him?" Mizuiro looked more worried than ever. "Fine! I'll go find him and show him to you! I'll prove I'm not crazy!"


	5. Chapter 5

Their hearts pounded as they recovered from the close encounter, Ichigo still trying to work it out.

"How come he could see you? Is that a gigai or something?" Arashi shook his head whilst he wheezed like an old man.

"Oh yeah, I just wear this cloak because I think I look good in it. But there is something odd about that boy. There was nothing wrong with is spiritual pressure and that's the weird part; he shouldn't have been able to see me, yet he looked right at me." He straightened up and looked over his shoulder, cocking his head to one side.

"Don't worry, even Keigo's gonna give up after that much of a run." Arashi didn't stop staring behind them. His black boots clicked on the roof tiles as he looked around.

"Yuroichi?" Nothing happened. "Hey guys, time's getting on a little quickly, you should head back home." He suddenly spouted in one sentence, taking another step forward. "Yuroichi? Come on, if that's you I don't want to play, I'm not feeling well." Still nothing. Ichigo's skin crawled at the silence and checked his watch; it was only 4:12.

"Flash!" Arashi suddenly barked, all humour gone from his voice. "Flash!" He shook his head and took Ichigo and Rukia by the arm and firmly pulled them.

"Hey, what's got you so angry?" Ichigo groaned, surprised at the strength that was pulling him along with a fair amount of ease.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine, we just need to- WHOA!" Rukia and Arashi were nearly dragged off the roof as the blow sent Ichigo reeling to the edge of the roof. He held onto the cape for dear life, choking the boy in the process. Rukia gave and tug and pulled them back up from the edge, Ichigo scanning his surroundings for the attacker. There was no one there.

"Run! The both of you get back to Urahara's! I'll be right behind you!" He gave them a hard shunt and turned, his head and eyes darting at the tiniest movement. Three impossibly quick blurs flashed and crossed before them, making Arashi grunt and hold his stomach. Rukia went for the Soul Candy and Ichigo had his pendant half-way to his chest, before,

"What did I just say?"Arashi glared over his shoulder as he stood shakily, still watching his surroundings. "Go now! I'll catch up in a sec! Don't make me repeat myself again." Rukia and Ichigo wobbled the spot before turning and running.

"We're not actually gonna-"

"Of course we're not," Rukia scolded, "But we need to leave our bodies somewhere safe."

"Come on, come on." Arashi breathed to himself, his shoulders hunched and ready. Like a cat chasing a fly, he swatted left and right, lashing out with his heels and elbows and hitting nothing but air. He panted and gasped as his muscles began to ache with each movement and every glancing blow and slash began to mean more and more.

"Hey!" The blurs stopped and Arashi spun to see the strange boy from earlier hunting him like an overly-friendly dog. "Myname'sKeigowhat'syours?" He bellowed, sprinting faster than Arashi ever thought a human could sprint, hand outstretched, unaware of the figure that now pursued him. No way were they getting Arashi into a hostage situation.

"No! Not this way! Back!" Arashi called, the human cheetah never stopping, "I said get out of here, you giant idiot! You wanna get killed? It's dangerous-"

"Hey, do you know the guy with the afro? What time is this show on? Are you filming right now? Am I on T.V?" The words came out in a blur and it took Arashi a moment to work them all out. He'd seen these 'television' sets in Hueco Mundo through the portals that the Muenos made. They were some strange device that showed pictures and sounds that had been taken months in advance whilst the people on the screen followed a script, much like the plays he had seen as a child.

"Um, yeah! Yes, Keigo, thousands of people are seeing you on their vision sets right now, but this is a dangerous act, lots of fighting and real sword play." He cringed as a zanbakto nearly gave him an unwelcome haircut. "So you better get out of here... Right now!" He felt the wind before the blade ever came. He dived and reached out as far as he could, catching the zanbakto by the tip of the blade and sending its owner tumbling to the ground. Throwing the sword away, he grabbed the man and forced him to his knees whilst he tried to release the arm that threatened to crush his neck.

"See? Pretty combat intensive. I wouldn't touch that katana replica either, they're pretty sharp. So," He continued with a pained smile, the Soul Reaper thrashing more and more, "If you'd kindly move before you get hurt, I'd really appreciate it." The hostage managed to wrestle an arm free from his attempt to stop Arashi choking him, but it only earned him a hard knee in the ribs. "See? That really hurt- Just get lost, kid, before I hurt you myself." He said, losing the will to be calm and scowling at Keigo, who finally started to retreat faster and faster. Arashi breathed a sigh of relief, putting more pressure on to keep his pet under control.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, captain!" Arashi smiled into the trees and licked his lips. "I know you're out there, Bee. I can smell you from here."

"Arashi!"

"Not so confident in attacking a teenager now, are you? How have you grown even more petty and childish over the years?"

"Arashi!"

"This guy's not going to last much longer, Bee. Soon, I'll break his neck or choke him to death, then I'll be free to move onto the next one. Give me an hour at tops and you'll have lost the entire Punishment Force! Alternatively, you can come out now and we can settle this one and one, just like old times!"

"ARASHI!" He nearly lost his grip on the man as a pair of hands gripped his shoulders and pulled hard. "How many times do I have to shout you before you pay attention!" Yelled the two Rukias.

"What? Rukia, your powers! Wait, what are you doing back here? I thought I told you to-"

"Leave the Soul Reaper, Arashi, you don't know what you're doing!" They gave another hard tug and Arashi's grip got a little looser.

"Let go of me, damnit! Do you want us to die here? Now get out of here, this isn't your fight!" _If she keeps this up, I swear, I'm going to swing for her._

"Just leave it, Arashi! You're not strong enough for this fight, you're just acting out of anger!"

"NO!" The fine cloth slipped like water through his fingers and the man disappeared. The air started to hum and whisper with movement. He was dragged and managed a shaky pivot before stumbling along behind his sister and the mod soul. The adrenaline of the fight wore off and he realised how much every step made him hurt. His lungs were on fire as he tried to keep pace. He cursed himself over and over again; he'd never run away from a fight that threatened him or his family, yet here he was, being forced into retreat by a girl whilst his heart was beating harder with every swish of metal that neared his neck and ankles. He could swear that he nearly felt his shoulder blades fall apart, but a rush of glinting metal and fiery hair swooped by him. Ichigo's sword swung with powerful precision, parrying the blades whilst he retreated, his back to Arashi's. Yuroichi waited a little further ahead, Urahara watching them from the roof of the shop. Arashi pulled and thrashed free of his sister's grasp as they reached the shop. The air was ominously still. Arashi growled and reached over his left shoulder and heard a small gasp. There was nothing there.

"What the-" He pulled the cloak over his head and searched the large slash across the material, his hands swatting at his back.

"My zanbakto! They took it!" He ran out into the open, hoping to be attacked but they were too smart. "I won't forget this, Soifon! You hear me? Come near me or my sister again and I'll kill you! I will find you!" His pants were the only sound. "Fight me! I don't even have a weapon! FIGHT ME!" He ranted on whilst Yuroichi scanned the air the captain was definitely here a moment ago, but she had disappeared with the rest of her squad. She turned and shared a nod with Urahara.

"They're gone, Arashi, calm down. Come inside, you need to rest-"

"No, I DON'T need to rest!" He bellowed back, his energetic eyes full of fire. "I need to find each one of those men and kill them for this! I need to go back to the Soul Society and kill each and every-" He was silenced under the shocked look Rukia gave him as she put an arm around him and lead him inside. He walked with a guilty silence, like a guilty man on death row.

"Don't worry, Len. We'll get them." He whispered to himself as he allowed his sister to fuss over his futon and cloak. "No one's gonna get in our way. We'll get our revenge." The skull chuckled back to him.

"Oh, how fun. Do hurry, little one, I can't wait for the bloodshed."


	6. Chapter 6

Renji ran as fast as he could, his heart pounding painfully hard. His sandals slipped as he tried to gain some purchase on the corner, which the old geezer with the broom seemed to handle far better.

"Get back here, you no good little punk! Give that back!" Renji's breaths were getting harder and harder, his legs starting to stumble. That was when he met them. He would never forget it.

"Hey! Over here!" Renji's head snapped to the side, his eyes landing on a girl who frantically waved her arms, standing beside an odd little boy. Renji took whatever chance he thought he had and ran for her, feeling the rotten breath of the shop keeper on his neck right behind him.

"Tag in!" Chirped the small boy, walking forwards at a gentle pace whilst Renji charged past. He stopped by the girl to watch as the tiny boy faced off against the thin old giant.

"Get outta the way, kid, or you're next!" He yelled, but the boy stopped dead in his path.

"What're you doing? Run!" Renji called to the stranger, but the girl just laughed.

"Don't worry, he can handle this." She said, still watching the boy with a smile of her own. The young child wagged an accusing finger at the leathery bull.

"You know, you're not setting a good example for the children there, sir. I suggest you stop running now, before you're hurt." The old man stopped with a skid and a cloud of dust, disbelieving what he had just heard.

"Are- Are you threatening me, you little worm? No wonder your lot is always stealing, your parents didn't want you little snots around any mo-" A small hand reached up and dragged him down to half his height with a scary amount of ease.

"Be careful what you say about my family, old man. Because those who insult my family insult me. Those who insult me, well," He gave a menacing chuckle that didn't fit with his energetic little smile. The old man started to shake a little, unable to pull away from the tiny fist.

"G- Get off me, kid!" The young boy with his shock of pale grey hair let go, his head cocked to one side as the old man retreated.

"You're a freak, you hear me? A little freak!" He staggered back around the corner and out of sight.

"Thanks for that. Who are you guys anyway? I haven't seen you around before." The dark haired girl was joined by her slightly smaller compatriot.

"My name's Rukia and this is my brother, Rai-chan." The young boy's smile fell and he pouted like a baby.

"Rukia! I told you not to call me Rai-chan! I'm a big boy now! How would you like it if I called you Ru-chan all the time?" The girl's cheeks flushed and she gave Renji a large mile as she clamped her hand firmly over the boy's mouth.

"Just ignore him. So," She threw the purple sack back to Renji as the small boy started to lead the way away from the market, "What's in the bag?" Renji loosened the neck and held out a piece of candy for her.

"I was gonna share it out with everybody, but here's your share now, for helping me get away from that guy. And here's some for, what was it, Rai-chan?" A wildcat growled behind him.

"It's not Rai-chan! My name's Arashi and I'm the best arm-wrestler in the world!" He folded his arm and held his nose high in the air as they reached a small warehouse. Renji sighed at the sight of home; a ramshackle collection of sheet metal, crumbling concrete and a few prayers. As the trio entered, a mixed group of children clamoured towards them. Some were Renji's friends who had been too lazy for this hunt, but some were smaller and were whispering excitedly to Arashi.

"Hey Renji!"

"Who's the girl?"

"What's in the bag?" The symphony of questions was halted by the gentle rattle of candy.

"Okay, now everyone get in a line and we'll share this out. No stealing from anyone else or you won't get any, got it?" They all nodded obediently in sync, forming a shunting and shaky line. Renji undid the knot of the soft bag and the entire room took a collective intake.

"Now, the little ones get theirs first." He mumbled, causing uproar in the line.

"Stop!" Arashi's voice was like thunder and bounced off the walls, silencing the line and drawing every eye to the small boy. He sighed and flicked his hair out of his eyes, his energetic eyes lighting on the centre of the queue. "Now, get back into the line or you're out." Renji watched in utter confusion as the line obeyed the small boy, even the larger ones. Renji just shook his head and carried on dishing out the sweets.

The last set of legs underneath a mop of hair mumbled a 'thank you' and toddled off. Renji took a peak into the bag and leaned in a little closer to Rukia.

"Hey, there's a few more left. You wanna go outside and have these to ourselves? We're the ones who got 'em, right?" Rukia cast a look around the room, to all the other kids who were happy with their share and were already back to talking.

"Alright, I guess so. Come on, Rai-chan." They slipped out of the room quietly, the little storm grumbling all the while.

* * *

><p>Over the passing days, weeks and eventually months, the trio got to know one another and became tight friends. The red-head would never have guessed that his two strange new friends were actually siblings. Arashi wore his 'old man' hair, as some of his friends teased, as a sign of supreme pride.<p>

"It makes me a big boy!" He retorted to the every taunt of his sister. After simply being around them, Renji learned that the small boy was incredibly protective of his sister and his strength was something else. It was only after they had known each other for two months had the two siblings been inducted into Renji's group of friends and they had taken to the river to fish that Renji had plucked up the courage to ask.

"Renji, it's coming to you!" Rukia called as a tiny salmon raced passed her. Over and over again, Renji's spear hit nothing but pebbles as the fish darted around his ankles and down-stream.

"Damn it! Arashi, don't let it get away!" He called back, shouldering his weapon as Arashi looked up. He sat calmly in the river further down-stream up to his chest, using a fingernail to carve a boulder beside him into a small orb. He looked up and cocked his head.

"Oh, the fish, right." He mumbled, still not moving. He gave a little sigh and put the rock beside him, lowering is arms into the water. As the fish nimbly swam through the water, Arashi wept his arms through the water. With a small grunt, the small boy stopped the river and turned the wave back upstream, fighting against its own current and leaving Arashi sitting on the wet rocks with his boulder still at his side and now his centre of attention. Renji dropped the spear and backed away in awe, but the current was unrelenting. It loomed over him and crashed down, forcing his arms up and his body down. As his friends rushed out to haul him back up, he barely kept his grip on the several flopping fish in his arms.

As they all sat around the crackling and popping fire, high on their victory, Renji had a chance to sneak up on Arashi, who was still absorbed in his rock. He was about to grab him and shout at the top of his lungs, but he checked again. Even in the dying crimson sun and dancing firelight, Arashi's face looked even paler than usual. He had noticed this a few times: Arashi would randomly fall ill and look very weak, but would never let it show when he was talking to people. But he wasn't talking now. He just looked drained as he carved the now small sphere in his hand even smaller.

"Hey, Arashi, are you okay buddy?" He sat beside the boy and put his arm around his shoulders, making Arashi give him a warming smile.

"Yeah, I just get a little sick sometimes. But it's okay though!" He assured his elder with a nod. "Rukia looks after me! She looks after me when I'm sick and I look after her from anyone who tries to bully us, see? It's how we get by, don't worry about me." He kept his smile when he went back to his work, giving Renji some peace of mind.

As they all sat around the fire to a delicious meal of cooked fish and bread, Renji watched with pride as is friends thanked him repeatedly. He only just caught the act in the corner of his eye, but he saw it nonetheless; Arashi, who had eaten only half of his fish, cut off a sliver of meat and stealthily placed it on Rukia's when she looked away. Every now and then, he would drop a little more bread onto her plate. He didn't look full at the end of his meagre meal, but he looked happy.

* * *

><p>The next day, Renji went to see if he could catch any more fish down by the river before his friends woke up, to no avail. Instead, the sight at the bunk house that his friends had somehow set was more than a surprise.<p>

"What kind of creep steals from a little kid?" Called Rukia to the towering giant above her. He snarled down at her for intruding on his pray.

"I'll teach you to mind your own business!" He swung a club-like fist at her, only to have it easily blocked by another person. The second fist slammed into his stomach and Rukia swiped his legs from beneath him. He landed heavily and was pinned by a weight on his chest and a hand around his throat. He slowly opened his eyes to find glaring down at him with uncharacteristic anger. He was usually so happy and jokey, but the Arashi that was now sitting on the giant's chest with his fist ready again was another story.

"Trying to hit a girl? Who's smaller than you? You're pathetic." He hissed as his sister kneeled beside the giant's head.

"If we hurt each other then we're no better than those adults, got it?" The giant nodded, not wanting to anger the suddenly aggressive pair. Appeased, Rukia left the room and wandered outside, Renji quickly following her, but Arashi stayed with the giant.

"Listen up, tough guy, because I'm only going to say this once. If I hear anything, anything at all, about you hurting my sister in any way, I'll make you regret it, you got that?" He bravely shook the giant, who was beginning to quiver a little.

"And that goes for all of you. If you upset her, you'll deal with me!" He gave one last threatening look around the room before his charming smile took over his face again.

"Come on guys, we've got to go and get more candy!" At his call, a team of boys, bar Renji, jumped to their feet and followed the boy to the market, ready to pull off their next little robbery.

"Renji, what's the hold up back there? You're falling behind!" Called Arashi, leading three boys further into the crowd whilst Renji went to check on Rukia, who seemed to be getting tired from the constant running that her brother and his friends had grown so accustomed to.

"Whoa, check it out! Red leather seats!"

"It's so shiny I can see my face in it!" The boys ogled at the cart whilst Renji and Rukia caught up with Arashi, who was gazing into an open doorway, along with the rest of the crowd.

"Can you feel it?" He asked without turning to them.

"Feel what, Arashi?" He inhaled deeply and smiled.

"All that spirit energy. Can't you feel it? It's him." The crowd began to cheer and applaud as a figure stepped out of the doorway. His hair was tied in a loose knot at his neck and he smiled as he gave a small wave to the crowd, one of the first Soul Reapers of his calibre to grace the poor streets in a while. As he passed, Rukia suddenly went stiff and fell to the floor. Her brother and Renji kneeled beside her, along with the Reaper that the crowd had been applauding.

"I'm sorry, that was my fault. Here, eat these." He reached into his kimono and pulled out a few rice buns in a box.

"Here, they'll make you feel better." The three children eyed them hungrily. They each took one, Renji and Rukia devouring them hungrily, but Arashi just stared at his.

"I'm not feeling very hungry. Here sis," He held out the bun to her with a smile, "You can have it."

"But, aren't you hungry?" He just shook his head, though a loud growl from his stomach betrayed him. "Are you sure?" He took her hand, placed the bun in her hands and closed her fingers around it, giving her a meaningful smile.

"Whatever's mine is yours. Forever and always." He produced a small piece of stone from his pocket and Renji recognised the same smooth pearl-white rock that Arashi had been craving on the beach. He had worn it right down until he had carved a small interlocking symbol comprised of two roses. A thin string cord was tied around it and Arashi wore a look of extreme pride as he slipped it over his sister's head, who teared up and hugged him close.

Byakuya Kuchiki smiled at the devoted pair and took his leave, though he was troubled. Those kids picked up on his spiritual pressure so easily. One of them fainted, one held firm against it yet that smaller boy just didn't notice it at all. He seemed to respond with his own. He made a mental note to have someone keep an eye on the sector from now on.

* * *

><p>"Okay, you guys ready?" The two nodded excitedly. "Okay, just don't try anything stupid and we'll be okay. Keep it level and we'll be just fine. Okay Renji, go for it." Renji nodded and concentrated hard on his hand, trying to materialise the energy. Suddenly, after much straining, the boy summoned a glowing ball of energy above his head. He slowly lowered it and held it between the ring.<p>

"Okay Rukia, match it and add it in." Rukia easily summoned a far more stable ball and placed it next to Renji's, feeding them and combining them into a larger one. Arashi followed on with seemingly more ease than his sister. Soon, the three kids had a bright ball of pure energy suspended between them.

"We should make it bigger." Whispered Arashi in total awe of the power they possessed. "Ready? Okay, now slowly increase your power." Very gently, the ball began to expand, forcing Renji's knees to shake.

"Guys, stop! I can't- I can't do anymore!" He grunted and fell to the floor as his spirit energy de-stabilised and blasted him away from the siblings. Rukia called his name, but Arashi suddenly barked at her, warning her not to leave the power.

"Arashi, please, let's stop! This is too dangerous!"

"Just a little more!" He growled, gazing hungrily at the orb as his sister began to weaken.

"Arashi, I can't hold on any longer! Stop!" But he didn't listen, he didn't tire, his face only growing more hungry as the ball hit the ceiling. Rukia's legs quaked and she tumbled to the floor, leaving Arashi holding the ball by himself.

"Arashi, let it go!" Renji yelled. Suddenly, Arashi wasn't looking very confident. His brow furrowed and his concentration increased, but it didn't deflate the orb, only fuelling it.

"Run! Get away from here! Quick! I can't power it down! I'm gonna have to overload it!" Rukia stepped forward and tried to tug him away, but energy from the ball hissed and snapped like static when her fingers met his arm.

"I said run! Renji, get her out of here! It's getting unstable!" Renji grabbed Rukia by the waist and dragged her from the room and into the street, his friend crying her brother's name all the while, trying desperately to get back to him.

"Okay," He murmured to himself, "This is it. Renji, if I die here, take care of my sister." He shed a small tear and prepared to meet what could be his end. His arms shook as he forced himself to look away from the energy, concentrating on anything but the power at his fingertips. The explosion was devastating. The building shook and windows and doors were blasted from their frames. When the dust had cleared and the people had gathered, all that was left was a very unstable building with a crater in the floor. People gasped and backed away, clearing a path for the Reaper that had suddenly arrived in their midst. Byakuya carefully descended the slope and kneeled beside the injured boy. He reached out to check if any bones were broken, but a strong static shock forced him back. He removed his hand and the boy began to stir, gasping as he took in the Soul Reaper and the smouldering remains of the house that surrounded him.

"Oh my. Did-" He looked slowly to the Reaper with confusion. "Did I do all this?" The Reaper nodded. He wasn't angry, he wasn't unkind. He actually smiled a little.

"You did. Your spirit energy is extremely high so you easily survived that blast." Arashi smiled slightly, but swooned. He felt a faint coming on as his body grew heavier.

"How would you like to become a Soul Reaper like me?" Arashi's body woke up a little at the offer, but the energy was quickly wasted.

"You mean, I can use a sword and fight monsters too?" He puzzled the offer for a moment whilst he slowly pushed himself to his knees. "Well, I guess so. But on one condition;" He stopped to take a shaky breath, and then looked the man dead in the eye, the deep purple burning with intensity. "Only if my sister can come too." Byakuya was taken aback and was about to refuse when he had an idea. Any relative of this boy is also sure to have a high spirit energy.

"Very well. Show me to her." Despite being weary and hurt, Arashi felt strengthened. He and his sister would finally be out of this hell hole.

"Arashi! You're all right!" Rukia rushed to him and hugged him, seeming like she would never let go. He could see from the red rings around her eyes that she had been crying and felt humbled.

"Hey sis, I have some great news." She took her head off of his shoulder and noticed the smiling Reaper behind him.

"Can you make a ball of energy, like we were doing before? Don't worry; I won't be trying anything like earlier again. Listen," He leaned in closer and whispered into her ear, "I'm going to be a Soul Reaper. You can be one too if you prove that you can make that ball to this guy! We'll be out of here for good, Rukia! This is what we've been waiting for!"


	7. Chapter 7

Urahara took off his hat and scratch his head of tangled hair. A slow breeze drifted through as Arashi yawned widely and meandered back to his room. As his cloak fluttered gently around his ankles, Urahara could swear that he could see a lightly darker skin tone on his body than when they found him.

"Looks like they found him, huh?" Tessai nodded his head slowly as if he was sampling a fine wine, shutting out the draught.

"They were bound to at some point, boss. He has a very... unique spiritual pressure about him. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't pick him up as soon as he got into this world." Tessai drummed up his courage. "If you don't mind me asking boss, how did someone so young end up in Hueco Mundo?" Urahara sighed into his drink and wracked his brains, taking long gulps of his tea.

"Well, it's a little complicated. I'm still not sure of exactly what happened or how, but apparently. He tried to kill a captain." Tessai tried to put the words through his head a few times and the words eventually made a sentence.

"He attacked an officer? When was this?"

"A little while after I left. Apparently, my replacement was late to a meeting in the captain's hall. Then, he came charging through the door with a large slash across his chest, yelling that Captain Arashi was trying to kill him. Next, Arashi stumbled through the door, his zanbakto covered in blood. When I got a chance to ask him before his trial, he swore that he didn't do anything, said he was talking to Rukia and Renji at the time." Urahara looked up to the moon's rays that made the sliding door and opaque silver. "I still don't know what to make of it. But that's not important right now." Urahara set is cup down and looked Tessai in the eye.

"They have his zanbakto now and he's angrier than ever at them. Whatever the circumstances are, even though he may hide it underneath those smiles, he wants to see the Soul Society destroyed and he's not going to stop until it is. Pretty soon, he's going to ask you to open the Senkaimon. Whatever you do, do not let him in. For his own safety or theirs. Just tell me and I'll deal with it, got it?"

"Sure boss, I understand. But what about..." Arashi stopped listening.

"They know about your intentions, it seems." Len commented lightly, Arashi's mind filtering slowly through the mass of hatred-poisoned thoughts. Urahara was worried for _their_ safety? He wasn't going to _allow_ him his rightful vengeance against the people who betrayed him?

"_He_ doesn't even believe you!" Len gave a long raspy laugh, delighted with the boy's torment of another betrayal. "Who's left now? Rukia? She thinks you're insane! Yuroichi has grown to fear you! You've got no one but me."

"Shut up! I'll kill them _ALL_ if I have to!" Arashi clamped his hand over his mouth whilst his heart pounded. The footsteps were inevitable, or so he thought. No one came to inspect his outburst that had even surprised himself. The conversation in the next room was stopped for a few moments, but they just carried on their murmuring. Arashi sighed and wiped his sweat-drenched face.

"Did I just say that?" He whispered to the darkness. His stomach writhed and ached as the image of the skull with the slanted helmet drifted before his eye. The air condensed and the skull perched atop a body that took a seat beside the boy, its huge grin eerie in the silence.

"You certainly did." He said. His voice was like sandpaper and it grinded in the boy's head. "Look at you, boy, you're getting angry again. You know you shouldn't do that. You might hurt someone." He taunted. Arashi just rolled and stared at the wall.

"Go away, Len. I don't care for your words. I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work, so just let me sleep."

"But you won't sleep, will you child? You're already thinking about them. I can see their faces too. Why not let go of that stubborn pride and listen to me, young one?" The skeleton removed its head with a snap and laid it next to Arashi so they looked eye to socket.

"Listen to me. We've known each other for a long time, haven't we child? I know you better than you do. You might be afraid to admit it, but you know that you can't hide anything from me." Arashi's eyes didn't open, but he still frowned.

"You think I'm afraid? I'm a captain, I fear nothing. Especially not you, you vile thing. Now get lost." He rolled again, but the arms moved the head with him.

"Don't lie to me, boy." He spat, "I know you're scared. You're scared of what you've lost, what you're going to lose and what's slipping through your fingers right now. You're scared of the anger that stirs your blood. Why? That is not something to fear. Listen to me, young one; I was around for a long time, I know the world. Kill him, aim for the top. Cut off the head of the snake and the body dies. Make them kneel in fear and respect before you and wield the power you know should be yours. Mould the world the way you know it should be." Arashi growled and swiped his hand at the skeleton, expecting to feel the bone splinter beneath his palm, but the walking pile of bones was fast, scooping up the head and returning it to his spine in one graceful movement.

"Now, if you were to use that power with my guidance, you would hold absolute power over all. Think about it." And with that, Len faded from reality. The boy lay and fell into a troubled sleep. His dreams were plagues with scenes of violence and loneliness; he butchered millions of faceless people without a personality or even a face, burning down shapeless and grey civilisations to the ground, wallowing in the ashen remains. His skeletal lieutenant barked orders to legions of faithful, indistinct masses of darkness that howled in delight as they cut down their terrified prey. His felt his sword rumble in his hand and his bankai released a thousand times over and decimated all that remained.

"No! Stop! This isn't what I wanted!" He bellowed to the bankais, but they paid no attention. Arashi fell to his knees and covered his eyes, trying to drown out the sea of screams that echoed around him.

"Look now, little one." Len laid a slender finger on his shoulder. "This is the reward for your effort." The ash started to fly into the air and land back on the ground, dancing like a graceful grey blizzard around him. The monotonous grey gave way to vibrant whites and greens, the dark clouds above clearing way for a glorious blue sky. His friends waved to him up ahead, sitting beneath the boughs of a peaceful orchard atop a hill littered with daisies where a pile of flaming rubble and dust had been only moments before. They were all there. Rukia and Renji made space in the fairly large circle for him, tossing him an apple. He took a bite and smiled to the group, who returned it with a glazed look in their eyes. One girl in particular caught his eyes; a brunette that hung her slender arms around Rukia's neck beamed at him more than the rest. Arashi had to take a moment to register how similar they looked.

"Who... Who's this?" He asked over his shoulder, the skeleton suddenly at his side as the group remained silent. "Is that... Is that my mother?" The bones clacked as they shook.

"No, my child, that is not. That is your sister." Arashi's breath was knocked forcibly from his lungs. "You won't remember her, but her face is so familiar, isn't it?" Arashi shook his head and tried to look away, but the heavenly sight of his sister so happy with a doppelganger on her shoulder was too much.

"No, you're lying." He protested half-heartedly, wishing that he could talk to her. "Why haven't I seen her before?" Len chuckled evilly as the angels before the boy smiled on silently.

"He killed her, back when you and your sister were but babes. She abandoned you both when you were too young to remember and ran off to marry Byakuya Kuchiki. She tried to return to the streets, tried to found you," The nearly-weightless bone arm coiled around Arashi's shoulders. "But he wouldn't let her. He got jealous that she cared more for her the two of you than him, so he slit her throat in the night and buried her without anybody uttering a word.

"No." Whispered Arashi, reaching for the sister he never knew.

"I'm afraid so. No one said a word about it. Now do you see why I'm right, little one? This is yet another mark against their sins. You know what to do." The wind started to howl and Len floated away on the current, as did the trees. Arashi recoiled away from the apple that had turned to a single swarm of writhing, sucking maggots in his hands. He tried to dive away from the ground that threatened to give way into an endless oblivion below and ran for his friends, his family, the only thing that was still anchored to the earth as it disintegrated around him. Like the scared child he was, he dived for Rukia's embrace and cowered away from the destruction. The marble was colder than ice. Their features still smiled a mocking sneer as he clawed desperately at the flawless stone, trying to uncover the beating heart beneath it all. He clawed at the statues until they were nothing but dust that floated away on the wind. He retreated to the burnt and destroyed tree and gazed out at the word. A silver backdrop, decorated by a typhoon of shapes that tried to take form, spiralling to the endless sky above and bottomless abyss below, as if he were on an island, falling down an endless twister.

He was alone once more. He couldn't go through Mundo, not again. He didn't want to live. His skin began to slither on his muscles and his eyes began to burn. He clawed his sight into a bloody pulp in a frenzy of swipes, the fountain of blood that sprayed forth writhing in the air and slithering away like crimson snakes. They turned back on their blind, screaming creator and lashed out with teeth as biting as a blade. He screamed and flailed as the ground finally gave way and he fell, unable to swat away the hateful creatures that hissed and ripped the flesh from his bones.


	8. Chapter 8

"Wake up! Freak..." Reality returned. Arashi tried in vain to prize himself away from the covers that were plastered to his back. His hair stuck in his eyes and made them water. "What the hell's wrong with you?" demanded the voice, "You nearly woke up the whole town!" Arashi wiped away the stray hair and slowly opened his eyes. The small boy, Jinta, Urahara called him, was glaring at him like a vulture watching its prey. Another silhouette floated by the door.

"What do you mean?" he asked croakily, rubbing his forehead, which was apparently made of lava.

"I mean you wouldn't stop shouting! What kinda dreams do you have anyway, kid?" Arashi cast a thought back to what made him lose 50% of his body's water, then instantly regretted it. His head started to swim and he was forced to close his eyes whilst the world started to spin.

"Nothing." he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose to remind him of what was real.

"Sure doesn't sound like nothing..." Jinta mumbled, strutting out of the door, "Boss! The freak's awake!" Even from down the hall, the small boy sounded like Thor bellowing. Arashi clamped his hands over his ears and groaned. Unable to move properly, zanbakto stolen, head hurting, have to eat like a horse to stay alive, scavenging off a friend without repayment, having to sleep with boxes and spiders, I'm starting to miss Hueco Mundo. As Jinta's shouts subsided, Arashi gave a sigh of relief and opened his eyes, jumping as the silhouette had advanced the length of the room without him noticing. Arashi focused his eyes in the dim light of the storeroom and saw the young girl that seemed to disappear every time Arashi cast a glance in her direction.

"Um, I made this for you." she mumbled, keeping her eyes on the floor whilst she held out a cup of tea. The gesture baffled Arashi for a moment.

"Oh, thank you, Miss?"

"You can just call me Ururu." She gave a shy smile and met his eye as she handed him the cup. Arashi chuckled; this girl was so sweet and innocent, how did she cope with that rude little swine running around? "I'll go tell Mr. Urahara that you're awake, just in case he didn't hear Jinta."

"I think the whole town heard him."Arashi muttered dejectedly, causing the girl to giggle as she closed the door behind her. Arashi thought back to his days in the Society, back to his troops. Perhaps that girl was actually a descendant of the fourth seat? It would explain her ability to make Arashi want to protect her at a glance. He stretched and yawned, smiling at the birds that fluttered by the window. A breeze rolled in and made him shiver. He adored it. With no wind in Hueco Mundo, he always felt at the same temperature. No birds either. No anything...

He shook himself,

"Come on, snap out of it." he growled, slipping the captain's cloak over his head, "Gotta look healthy. Happy. Strong. Positive thoughts." He strolled out of the stock room and sucked in a deep breath, putting on a smile and chanting 'positive thoughts, positive thoughts' to himself repeatedly. Hopefully he would catch Kisuke in a good mood.

Kisuke stared at the sheet blankly, seeing the numbers but not comprehending. He took another belt of coffee and checked the sheet again; according to this, he should have majority of his stocks of food still in the back, yet half of the stocks were gone without any transactions. Jinta and Ururu were calling to him, but the mystery of the disappearing food was taking priority. The familiar gentle clunking of sturdy boots on wooden floor didn't spark Urahara's interest, nor did the sound of the door opening. It was strange; the noise didn't attract his attention, but the silence and the stare on the back of his head did. Urahara turned to the guest in his office and suddenly remembered; that's where the food went.

"Hey, Kisuke." Arashi chirped, trying to smile nonchalantly, which only made him more suspicious.

"Good morning... Did you... sleep well?" he asked. Arashi nearly dislocated his neck with nodding. Silence took over again. Urahara waited for him to ask his question, but the younger boy didn't seem to understand that Urahara knew that he was going to ask something unreasonable.

"Arashi, what do you want?" Kisuke asked suddenly. Arashi made a face that looked like he had seen a video on the interactive television set that showed any play that a person desired, particularly a play that involved two females committing a series of odd acts that Arashi had had the displeasure of seeing through multiple portals in Mundo. How were humans so infatuated with that strange play?

"Me? Want something more of my host? Kisuke, all those years of trust and friendship and you still don't know that I would never-"

"Arashi?"

"I need a large body of terrain that is hidden from human and Soul Reaper eyes that I can train in and tear up, preferably with some Hollows." Tessai chose the perfect time to come in. He walked through the door with a box of sweets that only allowed the shining top of his bald head to show. As silence crept out of the box again, Tessai slowly set the box down and caught the boss' eye.

"That's quite a quest, and a fairly impossible one, Arashi. Tell me, little Rai-chan, what would someone such as yourself need Hollows and a training ground for?" Arashi slowly crossed his arms and his head seemed to recede into his hood. Only his lavender eyes shone, pulling Urahara in with their intensity.

"I'm not sure what I should be more insulted at; the fact that you used my child name, 'someone such as yourself' or simply outright insulted that you need to ask why I need training ground." He left it there. He didn't need to go any further. Urahara adjusted his hat uncomfortably and scratched his head, trying o pull a reason out of the air.

"Well, given your current condition, are you sure that it's wise to be exerting yourself with training?" Arashi nodded slowly and stood. He walked to Tessai and took a single piece of rock candy.

"Current condition?" he asked Urahara with a side wards glance. At lightning speeds, he hurled the candy out of the store and flash stepped to the entrance of the shop. He threw his cloak into the air, flash stepped to the edge of the courtyard, caught the candy, hurled it back at Urahara, caught his cloak with his neck and grabbed the meteorite candy millimetres in front of Kisuke's nose, the force of the air that followed the boy snapping his hood and blowing candy about the store like a colourful twister. He unwrapped the candy casually and popped into his mouth, though his expression hadn't changed.

"If nothing else, Kisuke, I want to get back to full strength so that I can protect myself, and her." Kisuke felt the vibe that his friend's eyes were sending him, but he insisted.

"I'm sorry, Rai, I really am. But we both know of what you're capable of. Besides, you're as strong as a lieutenant already. What Hollow could prove too much of a problem?" Arashi scowled, but Urahara cut across him, "Just think of it from my view; I have two options: Number One. I don't let you train and you stay at your current strength. That way, you won't go picking fights with Soul Reapers and stirring up a hornet's nest and bringing war onto yourself. The full might of the Soul Society will be aimed directly at you and you'll be overpowered and most likely executed, along with anyone who consorted with him, ergo, everyone here at the shop, Yuroichi, Rukia and Ichigo. Option number Two: I give you all the necessary facilities to train yourself back to full strength. Then you'll have the means to start a war on your own. Then, you ask me to open the Senkaimon, thus letting you get into the Soul Society and start attacking everyone you see-" Arashi snorted and gave Urahara a harsh glare.

"I'm not some animal, Kisuke, I managed to hold onto myself in Mundo, you know. You say that as if I'm some kind of Hollow that would attack a soul for the fun of it. You know who I'm after." Urahara went on the offensive and raised his voice to match Arashi's.

"Of course I know, but do you think they'll let an outcast and highly dangerous prisoner just walk in there peacefully and start attacking an officer?" Arashi growled and smashed his fist onto the table, shattering it to pieces.

"They wouldn't dare come near me if you'd let me train!" They both panted for breath, realising that they had come full circle. They both took a deep breath. "I'm going for a walk." Without waiting for a reply, Arashi turned and walked out of the door. He was angry at Kisuke, but he kept his spiritual down nonetheless.

Urahara sighed and rubbed his head. Ever since that kid had turned up, he was having constant inspections for Soul Reapers. No doubt that Soifon had taken Arashi's sword back to the Soul Society as proof of his return and now they had a lead on where he was. Just as predicted after an outburst like that, there came a rapping of sandals on wood and a gentle knock on the frame of the shop. The afro-clad Soul Reaper on duty strolled into the shop with his same squinting suspicious stare.

"Urahara, what was that just now?" he asked, making Tessai's head dart from the Soul Reaper to Kisuke. Urahara swilled the question around his head a few times, considering everything that could happen with each word he said. Without leaving too much of a pause, Urahara turned back to the Soul Reaper with a casual shrug.

"Oh, nothing. Tessai and I were simply debating on where to put the best selection of the candy and things got a little tense." He put on a big goofy smile and let his message sink in. Probably on orders from his superiors not to probe such a valuable asset to the Society, the Soul Reaper nodded and left without another word.

"Boss?"

"Think about it, Tessai. If we rat him out, they'll take him back to the Society. We'll have just made it easier for him." Tessai nodded slowly, trying to think like his boss was.

"So, are we really to go against him, or are we helping him?" Urahara didn't answer. He walked away from Tessai without a word, a distant look in his eye. Once alone in his office, Urahara silently set his hat on a table and sat heavily, rubbing his tired eyes whilst trying to sift through the endless reams of thoughts he had. He looked back to his walking stick and decided to get away from the human world and consort with her. She would help him decide in his time of need. She would at as just as much of a loss as he would be. Urahara laid the sword onto his lap and breathed deeply, reaching for the strings that connected him to her.

"Are we really going to do it?" Benihime paced even further, seeing to wear the ground down beneath her. It was so unlike her to be worried. Fussy, yes, but not worried. "I mean, can't you just see it from his point of view?" Urahara rubbed his forehead.

"But I can also see it from the Soul Societies point of view."

"But think of what he's been through! He did all that just to come back home to the people he loved. And he's your friend. How would you feel if it was Yuroichi or Tessai that you had to... to..." She lost heart and couldn't bring herself to say it, but it had all the same impact. They both went quiet, lost within their own thoughts. After an entire or had passed in silent consideration, Benihime finally spoke up again.

"I... It's for the best." She assured herself, "It has to be done. Just... Make it quick, okay He deserves not t know." Urahara nodded, feeling sick as he left his zanbakto's realm and returned to the world of the living. He took his has from the table and pushed it back onto his head, anything to stop his hands from shaking. He could do this. He had to. I was for the greater good. Many would die if he didn't. This was it. It was time for Arashi to die and stay dead.


	9. Chapter 9

Kyoraku gently splashed the sake inside of his bowl, taking in its scent before sipping down another hit. The seemingly endless streams of information still poured from the array of screens above their heads, slowly filtering everything it could gather and displaying it to the captains. Kuroschuchi leaned his head on his hands and let his eyes drift closed. They had been at this for hours, just standing and waiting in silence for Kuroschuchi to come to a conclusion. He got up and stretched widely, the other twelve captains looking to him hopefully. He just walked past them and took a stroll through his barracks and to the lab, leaving them to go back to staring at the hypnotic flashes of the screens. As he reached his labs, he approached a heavy iron door that was guarded by two members of the squad. As he reached the door, the sentries bowed and backed away, allowing the captain to access the panels on the door. He reached inside of is kimono and pulled out a vile of blood whilst using the other hand to brush the door. As his skin made contact with the metal, the door gave a mechanical whir and a small basin popped out from the centre. Kuroschuchi uncorked the tiny flask and poured the blood into the tray, where it simmered into gas as if the metal were as hot as a furnace. After all of the blood had disappeared, the door shimmered slightly and faded slightly from reality. The captain walked through the grey haze and continued into the corridor, the door resealing behind him. He descended the steps and rounded a corner into a high-ceilinged room. He stepped over the wires and humming machines that ran to the centre of the room and constantly took their readings. He ran his fingers over the familiar machines, felt them vibrate, heading for the lit podium in the centre.

"Nemu!" he barked to the largely darkened room, "How is the specimen?" The captains in the observation room moved behind the computer and looked through the windows that formed a gallery, looking down into the dark room. Her hands covered in still bleeding cuts, the lieutenant approached her captain and bowed.

"Progress is going ahead as planned, sir. We have nearly reached the extent of what we can gather from the specimen and the computers are translating the spiritual residue now." She reported emotionlessly, the steady dripping of blood loud in the near-silent room. The captain ignored the sound as best he could and approached the small podium and gazed at his precious specimen with hunger as it lay suspended in the tank of gel. Driven by curiosity, Kuroschuchi pushed his hand through the containment membrane and reached for the zanbakto that it housed.

"Master Mayuri, sir, I'm not sure that what you are doing is a good idea." Nemu warned whilst she wobbled on the spot, her face turning paler every moment. Kuroschuchi's head snapped and sneered at the lieutenant.

"How _dare_ you suggest such a thing? I- Argh!" he yelped and dragged his hand out of the tank. He looked down to the goo-covered hand and found a large slash running down it. The captains in the gallery pressed their faces to the glass in concern as Kuroschuchi turned slowly back to the tank and squinted at the blade; it had turned and attacked him of its own accord. It was horizontal with the blade facing away from him when he reached his hand in and yet it managed to roll and twist to cut Kuroschuchi.

"How interesting. Nemu!" He snapped his fingers, still gazing at the sword, "Dress my wounds."

"Very well, Captain, but I'm afraid it won't do much good." Kuroschuchi spun on the spot and stared at her hands, at the blood that was yet still seeping through the bandages.

"The Honenuki Tsume of that zanbakto will not allow wounds to heal until the owner has dismissed the effect. I tried to tell you, Captain." she added as a side note, but Kuroschuchi wasn't paying attention anymore.

"'Eviscerating Talons,' eh?" He nodded appreciatively. "I must experiment further into this."

When Kuroschuchi returned to the captains and explained what they had witnessed, Jushiro sighed and shook his head.

"Honenuki Tsume. That's something I haven't heard in a while. It looks like he really has returned." The captains went quiet again as Kuroschuchi started to busy himself with a large needle and a bag of blood. All eyes turned to the hunched old man that still stared at the screen.

"Head Captain Yamamoto, how should we proceed?" asked Komamura, shifting his shoulders in his armour and staring at the list that was starting to compiles on the screens, charts drawing. Yamamoto didn't answer and the rest of the captains watched the screens. Unohana, Ukitake, Kyoraku and, most of all, Hitsugaya all flinched at the sight of the list, watching the numbers on the screen whir without slowing, showing the atrocities the blade and its master had committed.

"Look at that." hissed Soifon, glaring at the meter as it reached 1,000, "He's a monster. How can someone go on with that on their conscience?" Despite the captains being shocked by what the screens told them, Kenpachi laughed.

"Damn! If the kid can do this then he must still have some fight left in him!" No one replied to the distasteful comment, returning their attentions to the screens which now had started to display a different list. The attention of the room shifted to the second list, expecting it to whir in equal measure as the first, but nothing happened. Kuroschuchi squared up the screen and started to tap the keys on the console. The screen flashed and the list was wiped from the screen before the old heading returned, but instead of rectifying its mistake, the monitor displayed the same results.

"That can't be right." Kuroschuchi's hands went to start to check the data for any corruptions, but Yamamoto stopped him.

"There is no fault here." he declared, "The figures are correct." Soifon scoffed in shock and blinked heavily.

"But... how did he ever become a captain by destroying only fifty three hollows in his entire life? Surely he would have to do more than that to be deemed worthy of captaincy?" Kuroschuchi didn't have to say a word. All he had to do was lift to show his bleeding hand and point to the first counter, which still whirred. She fumed for a few more moments before muttering, "Animal." With that, she took her leave, leaving the rest of the captains in the nearly black room to watch the synopsis. Soifon had some things to clear up and bring to attention. She used her flashstep and quickly traversed the captain's quarters, heading for the Archives.

The guards bowed and opened the doors for her, allowing her access to the great fount of knowledge. When standing inside, the building seemed impossibly tall and infinitely deep, but she had long since gotten used to this feeling. Besides, she didn't have the time to spare on such childish insecurities such as falling off the Archive bridge. She swept her hands across the panel and let her fingers move with lightning speed, bringing up her requests file by file. She whispered the words she keyed in and watched the console compile a list of everything she needed to know. She opened an age-old file and started to flick through the details and noticed that there was a file attachment. She opened the file and found that there was recorded footage of the scene. She opened the file and the screen dimmed as it prepared the clip for her. The screen crackled to life and Yamamoto's back was tucked into half of the screen. The room was dark, lit by a single bulb the flickered dimly on the ceiling, illuminating the table on which the two men sat. Darkened figures stood behind each of the men with military silence, listening intently to the conversation.

"We will not surrender, I tell you!" shouted the man sitting across from Yamamoto, slamming his fist on the table, "We will not lie down and let you deceive us! Don't you try and pull that foul move on me again, old man!" His stuck out his strong, proud jaw rebelliously. Yamamoto gave no reaction to the outburst, but the Soul Reaper who was documenting shuffled slightly as the shoulder of another figure hovered into view. It was covered by white cloth and was joined to an arm that was just as pale the material. The room took a collective intake of breath before a gentle voice asked,

"Is there a problem, Head Captain?"

"You." The young man glared and pointed at the owner of the pale skin, "You little freak, how can you even bear to hear your own voice, let alone live with yourself?" he bellowed. The figure remaining unmoving. The Soul Reapers all went for their blades and the darkened figures behind the man raised their arms, letting great curves of blue light materialise. The Quincies all aimed for the Soul Reapers and blades flashed in the tiny light as they were drawn, but Yamamoto waved them all down.

"Enough!" he barked to his troops, "If the captain is level-headed enough to not to react so rashly then so should you!" The Soul Reapers slowly lowered their weapons, as did the Quincies, though neither of them sheathed their only form of protection. "Now, Grand Master Likun, I will only ask you one more time; withdraw your forces and return to your homes permanently or we will have no choice but to force you to! The imbalance of souls is growing stronger every day!" The man named Likun took a moment to consider the captain's demands before slowly turning to his men. They all took a short step forwards to show their faces in the light, a signal that they were willing to fight. Likun nodded and stood quietly, tucking his chair beneath the table as he did so. He extended his arm and the reiatsu-laden air swirled between his fingers, giving birth to an elegant cross-bow.

"Sit down, Grand Master," said the hooded captain, arcing his right hand over to his left shoulder to clasp the sea blue hilt off his zanbakto, "This need not degrade into violence." Yamamoto looked up to the captain with a look that very much reflected surprise. "Please, for the sake of your people, just walk away from this." Soifon found herself holding her breath as the conversation stopped. Likun still had his crossbow at Yamamoto, who still sat calmly, and the hooded, sleeveless captain who clutched the hilt of a sword that was the length of his fairly short body.

"Never, freak." muttered Likun. He suddenly raised the crossbow and fired the bolt right into the hood of the captain, who recoiled and screamed, making both Quincy and Soul Reaper jump in shock. Yamamoto jumped to his feet and was about to draw his blade and attack, but the small captain called,

"No!" All eyes turned to him as he cupped his face, the blue bolt jutting from between his fingers. In a daze of pain, he had turned to the recording equipment, allowing Soifon to see the crimson blood spilling between his fingers in the glow of the bolt. The captain took his hands away from his face and placed his hand on the shaft of the bolt and screamed as he pulled it from his eye, his head thrashing as he tried to regain control over the pain. He looked up, his hood slipping off his head and revealing his face to the men and the recorder. In the spray of blood the absent bolt had caused, the snow white hair had flecks of deep red in it and the pale skin looked blue in the light of the bolt the captain still clutched in his hand. "He's mine." The captain snapped his hood back up, shrouding his face in darkness again. He wheeled and the Quincies recoiled in horror at the two orbs of deepest lavender that glowed with hatred in the darkness, one dimmed by a vertical slit and a stream of blood. The captain strode to Likun, who backed away and fired another bolt, which shattered like glass under the spiritual pressure of the captain that threatened to flatten the strange meeting place. As Likun hit a wall, the hood smashed into his face, causing him to double over with blood pouring from his nose. The captain wrapped his arms around Likun's elbows before squeezing them and snapping them outwards like flimsy sticks. Likun screamed, but the vicious captain wasn't done yet. He grabbed Likun's hands and slammed the bolt through them, pinning the wailing man to the wall.

"A 'freak,' am I?" he whispered to the man, before reaching up to his jaw and twisting violently, revolving the head right around so the frozen scream faced the horrified troops. "If you wish to survive," warned the captain, turning to the quaking men, "I suggest that you run. Now." Without a second's delay, the men fled from the room, piling through a broken wooden door and into a moon-lit forest. The captain stumbled at fell back against the desk heavily, reaching back for his eye, which still dripped blood onto his black kimono.

"I'm sorry, Head Captain. This will surely mean more war." Yamamoto shook his head sadly, eyeing the deformed corpse that was nailed to the wall. This was supposed to be the end of the war, not a reason for starting another.

"There's nothing you could have done, captain. It was they who attacked first, you were merely defending yourself. Don't be angry at yourself, pity them." The captain nodded gratefully for the encouraging words as the Soul Reapers pulled the bolt out of Likun's hands and covered his body. The small captain bowed to his superior and stumbled out of the back door where his squad was waiting for him.

"Kogami!" he said weakly, starting to feel his legs shake as he watched the endless torrent of blood pour. His squad gasped and rushed to him, waiting for orders, "Get me to Captain Urahara! Quickly!" the footage cut off in mid-reply from the shadowy figures, leaving Soifon shocked. So the rumours were true. All along, all those smiles were lies. Arashi was the deciding factor of the war. The counter in the lab hadn't lied; he and his zanbakto really had killed thousands of Quincies. Soifon felt anger boil; no one could be allowed to commit such an act, no matter what the circumstance. So what if he'd spent time in Hueco Mundo? He was supposed to die there and now he was back. He had to die and Soifon would make sure of it. This was it. It was time for Arashi to die and stay dead.


	10. Chapter 10

Arashi grinded his teeth as he stormed out of the shop and took off for the roof. What the hell was with Urahara, how could he be so close-minded and cruel? Didn't Arashi deserve his payback? Did Urahara really just expect him to simply forgive and forget about the torture that he was put through at the hands of the Society and forgive all of their sins? Arashi strode on through the town easily, not concentrating on the cars or pedestrians who felt an odd gust of wind brush their arms as the young boy walked by without a sound. The feel of the earth rolling easily beneath his feet and the currents of air that he forced aside always helped him calm down, made him feel like he had something to achieve when he had nothing. So he just walked and walked, thinking with all his might on what to do next.

Kisuke was set against him, so the Senkaimon couldn't be opened as a quick route through to the Society. Soifon had made the effort to come to the world of the living just to take his zanbakto from him and leave him without a weapon, so that deceptive, venomous, decrepit old snake knew that the Society would be his target AND they knew he was in Karakura town. Arashi came to his sense as his head ploughed into a sea of soft white that encased his head. A voice yelped in surprise and Arashi's heart nearly exploded from shock. He realised that the items crushing his head were actually a huge pair of breasts. Arashi jumped back away from the panicked girl and was about to flee the scene of the no doubt panicked humans. But something even more startling caught his eye. He took a moment to sigh mentally as the human girl he had just bumped into looked directly at him in shock. Just to test his luck, he slowly waved to the girl who had now halted, gawping at open space, hopefully, whilst the rest of the humans gave her odd looks as the passed by. Against all of Arashi's hopes and luck, the human girl waved back slightly. She cast a look around her and shuffled up to Arashi, pinching the clasp of his cloak and leading him along.

"Follow me." she whispered in a soft voice, letting go of the clasp and straightening up. Out of sheer curiosity, Arashi followed on. Any human that could actively recognise and communicate with a soul had to be someone special. She led Arashi out of the town and across several roads before she was leading Arashi along a paved riverbank, who could spot a bridge that spanned a river that ran through the town. As they walked beside the glistening water, Arashi got back to his train of thought. Maybe she had access to a Senkaimon? Maybe she had some kind of standing with the Society? Maybe, just maybe, Arashi could convince her to infiltrate the Society so she could steal his zanbakto away for him! Yes, that was it! This girl would be the instrument of-

"Argh!" she suddenly squealed as she looked up, making Arashi jump and ready his fists by instinct, but there was nothing around them.

"What is it? Hollow?" he barked, but she just pouted at his readied figure and looked up to the sky.

"It's starting to rain." she said meekly, looking a little shy at his suddenly defensive pose. Arashi took a moment to comprehend what she said before glancing around and up to the sky. All around, the teenagers, who were all dressed in the same uniforms as the girl, were running for cover from the thin, iron grey clouds that were gliding their way and throwing the finest, least dangerous rain Arashi had ever seen onto them. The girl was starting to squirm on the spot, making it clear that she wanted to go wherever she wanted to take him quickly.

"Fine, if you don't want to tough it out, I'll just take us there." Arashi sighed, turning his back to her and offering his arms, "Come on, you're shivering." The girl looked at his slightly shorter body unsurely before climbing onto his back.

"Um, we need to go this way." She pointed dead ahead, but Arashi didn't move.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I just... gotta... remember how to do this." He was looking down at his feet, twisting them on the concrete, trying to find the right purchase. He thought back to the days past, back to the days of his training. Kisuke had arranged for the Stealth Force to bring him up to scratch on Flash-Step before he was to enter a lieutenant position, so none other than the captain herself had come to help him. She said to make sure that you wouldn't slip and kick off as if you were as light as air. Seeing Yuroichi's gloating face in his mind's eye as she took the headband from him for the seventeenth time that day sparked a reaction in Arashi's legs. Before he fully realised what he was doing, he kicked off and the world became a blur with the girl's fiery red hair streaming in his face and her screaming tearing his ear drum to pieces.

"Ma'am!" he yelled, coming to a stop on a rooftop whilst his ears rang, "Please stop or you'll deafen me!" The girl stopped and he could almost feel the blush from her cheek burning.

"Oh, sorry! I just didn't expect you to do that. Hey, who are you anyway? If you can do that, then you must be a Soul Reaper or something, right?"

"I'll explain later, just please show me where to go. We are going to your residence, aren't we?" Arashi suddenly perked up as a thought struck him; if this human could see him, maybe the family could see him too? Maybe he could run multiple agents. A sinister smile started to spawn from the usual one as Arashi schemed. Perhaps they were a family of standing that had taken to living in the living world? In that case, they'd have their own private Senkaimon straight into the Society. After that, he'd just have to navigate that Society without detection. Yeah, all he'd have to do is drop the cloak and keep his head down. He'd blend right in, he'd-

"Excuse me, Mr. Soul Reaper? We're at my house now, can I get down now?" Arashi glanced down at the roof of the small, unassuming apartment building and let the girl off of his back. For the first time, he got a good look at her. She was fairly tall and slim for her age with a well-endowed chest that made Arashi blush to remember that he accidently embedded his face in there not ten minutes ago. She had a kind face and flowing red hair. A thing of beauty, Arashi decided, and trembling with cold in such fine rain. Definitely a pampered noble daughter. He helped her down from the roof and she unlocked the door and led the way inside. Arashi removed his hood in respect and bowed to the room,

"Greetings, upperclassmen. My name is R-"

"Um, who are you talking to?" the girl interrupted. Arashi looked up and fumed a little when he realised that in his haste to pay his respects to the pawns of his plan, he didn't even have time to notice the fact that no one else was in the room. "Anyway," the girl continued awkwardly as Arashi grumbled to himself, "You were getting to your name?"

"Oh, yes. Well, you may call me Arashi." The girl beamed at him.

"That's such a funny big, angry name for someone so little! It's kinda cute! My name's Orihime. So you're a Soul Reaper then?" she asked, eyeing his black kimono that was made heavy with rain water.

"Well, something like that. I do have ties to the Soul Society, so you needn't explain it to me. So, Orihime, how is it you can see me? Are you a nobleman of the Society?" Orihime looked dumbfounded for a second before launching herself forward and constricting his neck and nearly suffocating him with her chest again.

"I don't know what any of those words meant but I can't take you seriously! That was so cute!" Arashi forced his tone to remain civil as he grinded his teeth to dust and detach the girl's arms from around his neck.

"So you're saying that you don't have a Senkaimon in your home?" Orihime blinked in confusion, forcing Arashi to speak slowly, "Can you get to the Soul Society from here?" Even with such a clear question, she took a second to answer.

"Oh, I don't know how to do that! But you could go ask Mr. Hat'n'Clogs real nicely and see if he'll let you use his." She smiled sweetly at him as Arashi's plans turned to ash. She had not only put an end to his master plan in a few barely considered sentences, but also called him short. She offered him some tea and Arashi nodded distractedly giving her time to take him in.

"Hey, you seem so familiar..." Arashi looked up in surprise; could she have already have guessed? She looked at him like a hawk searching for its prey and her eyes finally landed on his head. She snapped her fingers, "I've got it! You're little Toshiro's brother, aren't you?" Why couldn't the humans that could see him be more helpful? Why?

"Orihime, do you know of a Soul Reaper called Rukia Kuchiki?" A light slowly dawned in Orihime's eyes as she realised the resemblance.

"Oh, I get it now! She's your girlfriend!" Arashi couldn't help but palm himself in the face and sigh.

"No, Orihime, we have the same eyes. I'm her brother, okay?" She cocked her head, but Arashi interrupted her before she made another comment that would make him break his jaw. "How is it you can see me?" It seemed that long pauses were inevitable with this girl, so Arashi just waited it out with all the patience he could muster.

"Well, I think it's because of Ichigo. Some of his spiritual pressure awoke my powers and since then, I've been helping him in any way I can." As Arashi gawped at the sudden answer, Orihime laughed and ruffled his hair, getting up to fetch some snacks. Arashi gently blew across the tea and sipped it, thinking deeply on how to use this slightly less helpful asset to his advantage. Len rocked back and forth on his heels beside him, creaking slightly as he did so.

"Perhaps she can still be of use? If she knows Kurosaki and Urahara, we may be able to use her to open the Senkaimon at the shop and then simply run in ourselves?" he suggested, his words not breaking through Arashi's thoughts. As he filtered through what she had said about her powers, something snapped to alert in his head.

"Wait a minute." he mumbled, getting up to follow a mixture of bizarre smells that drifted from the kitchen. "Orihime, who's brother am I?" Orihime turned to him with a steaming tray of food and a confused face.

"Didn't you say you were Rukia's brother?"

"No no no, before that! You looked at my hair and said that I looked like someone! Who?" he cried desperately. He had to make sure. Orihime walked past him with a concentrated pout as she placed the tray on the table and took her seat.

"Oh, do you not know Captain Hitsugaya? He's always so grumpy..." As she trailed off into thought and started eating, Arashi had to steady himself against the wall as his head swam. Hitsugaya was here? In this very house? Yes... Yes, Arashi could almost smell his spiritual pressure. He wondered how he didn't sense it before. He sat down and started to ladle some form of soup into a bowl,

"Orihime, how exactly do you know the captain?" She looked thoughtful for a second, washing down the steaming soup with yet hotter tea.

"He came here with his lieutenant Rangiku about two weeks ago. They said they were looking for some really mean guys, but I don't remember so well." So the captains were active in the area? What was so special about Karakura town? What were the odds of Arashi finding Rukia and Urahara in the same place, along with multiple other humans and Soul Reapers? Just what made this place turn around like this?

"Orihime, can you tell me something? How is it you know Rukia?" He could feel it in his bones; this was the question that was connected to all others. There was something about the spiritual pressure of Ichigo that was familiar to Arashi and the Soul Society was closely monitoring the town. Orihime sighed and took a big gulp of soup and began her tale, Arashi listening intently as the afternoon sun sank to an early evening moon. Just as Orihime finalised the story with an accurate portrayal of the second escape from the Sweeper in the Precipice world, the sound of footsteps clanging quickly up the metal stairs of the complex interrupted the thrilling conclusion. The footsteps halted and someone started to hammer the door.

"Orihime! We need your help!" Rukia burst through the door of the apartment with a tired looking Ichigo panting in tow. "Have you seen a soul with-" The scowl that spread across her face when she saw the hood leaning back on the couch was pure evil.

"Rai, what do you think you're doing, taking off like that? I went to Urahara's and he said that you hadn't come back! I've been worried sick for hours!" He didn't move. He didn't even acknowledge her. He just lay back and watched the last rays of sun paint the clouds.

"Execution, huh Rukia?" Look faltered as her brother's blank face locked onto hers. "Strangely large thing to slip your mind, eh?" He stood and folded his arms and just watched her accusingly, like a parent who had found that their child had broken the neighbour's window.

"I- I was going to tell you, but I- I thought that there were bigger things for us to talk about!" She was trying desperately to keep her anger up, but the eyes beneath the hood stared relentlessly. Arashi slowly strode forward and considered Ichigo before his hand darted up and crunched into Ichigo's nose.

"That's for taking her powers and putting her in danger." he said imperiously down to Ichigo, who rolled on the floor and cradled his nose, "And this," continued Arashi, holding out a hand for him with a small smile, "Is for saving her. Thank you, Ichigo Kurosaki. I owe you one." He turned back to Rukia and hugged her, much to her surprise. "Don't worry, sis. I won't let them do anything to you ever again. You've got me again, alright? Give poor Ichigo a rest from this." With a smile on her face, Rukia hugged him back, moved by his little speech and her anger already gone.

Orihime, who had slipped out of the room tactfully, returned with yet more of the strange infusion of seven types of curries and soups that she seemed so partial to.

"Rukia, Ichigo, you look so cold! Here, have some of my soup! Your brother here loves it!" As she flittered away again to fetch more tea, Arashi pouted at the seventh bowl of soup with self-pity.

"When she was telling me about your incredible rescue, she kept on filling up the bowl every time I finished without thinking and I didn't want to be rude." he explained as he poured his spoonful back into his bowl.

"Oh, stop being such a baby." Ichigo scorned, taking a sip of the soup. He quickly understood as his tongue, throat and even cheeks felt like they were being burned from the insides as he swallowed. Ichigo went into a silent coughing fit as Arashi laughed softly.

"It's like drinking lit oil, isn't it?" Orihime arrived with the tea pot and watched Ichigo roll with concern.

"Ichigo, are you all right?"

"He's fine, Orihime." replied Arashi with a cunning smile, "He's just got something in his throat. Here Ichigo, this'll get rid of it." He helped Ichigo sit up and offered him a spoonful of soup, which stopped Ichigo in his tracks.

"Oh no, I'm fine really! See? It's gone-." he ended suddenly with a forced smile. The room went quiet and watched as his eye began to twitch and his face went redder every second. He finally had to continue breathing and coughed again.

"See? You're terribly ill." Arashi's smile grew wider, "You really must eat something! Open wide!" As the evening slowly rolled into the early winter night, the four laughed together easily and the two strangers quickly became friends. Orihime considered the strange sibling with interest; he was a cheery little thing, not like frowny Ichigo at all. But he was the same as Ichigo in a way that she saw when she was explaining how Ichigo became a Soul Reaper; he was very protective around Rukia. It warmed Orihime's heart to see that he cared for his sister so strongly, but there was something about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on. He sometimes went quiet and stopped smiling when he thought that she couldn't see him and even whispered to himself about something and he started acting really weird when she mentioned Captain Hitsugaya's name. There was definitely something weird about him, but she daren't spoil the fun the four were having, so she just put it to the back of her mind. She was sure she'd find out in time.

* * *

><p>The alarm rang out in the Seireitei as Ukitake and Kyoraku raced to the sound of the explosion at the Research Centre, where they could already hear Kuroschuchi bellowing at his squad members.<p>

"Forget about the equipment! Just find the specimen!" he screamed as Nemu sliced through the rubble of a destroyed building and men and women in dirty lab coats shifted rubble, searching desperately.

"Mayuri, what happened here?" asked Jushiro, jumping as the contorted face turned to him.

"What does it looked like, you blithering idiot? Someone destroyed my lab and took my specimen!" Jushiro sized up the damage and noticed something odd about the rubble; only one portion of the lab had been targeted. The gallery windows and consoles that were now exposed to the outside world were largely untouched, as was the next lab on the right-hand side of the breach whilst the space between them was totally demolished. He pointed this out to Kyoraku, who nodded thoughtfully,

"So I guess that means that whoever smashed up this place knew where to go to find what they were looking for. And if I remember correctly, that gallery up there," He pointed to the exposed glass and computers, "Is worryingly familiar." He needn't explain anymore. They both knew what was missing, the specimen that Mayuri was searching so feverently for with a blood pack still stapled into his skin. Someone knew where the sword was housed and knew that the only way to gain access to the lab was by force. The only people who were allowed into the high-security wing of the labs were either the guests of Kuroschuchi or the man himself, and only a captain could ever have the guts to smash apart such a place in order to get something like the infamous outcast's zanbakto.

* * *

><p>As Yamamoto, Ukitake and Kyoraku waited in the all for the rest of the captains, the felt a little ill.<p>

"Head Captain," began Jushiro nervously, "What if it really is Captain Hitsugaya? What must we do, if he really does intend to return the zanbakto to its owner?" The Head Captain didn't answer for a few moments.

"We will act as is necessary." he replied cryptically, which Ukitake knew meant that he didn't want to consider the option that they may have to kill Toshiro. But the three men were taken by surprise as the youngest captain filed in with the rest without a word. He looked irritated, as he always did when they were called for a meeting so suddenly. Almost as if he didn't-

"Where is Captain Zaraki?" demanded Yamamoto, making the captains look expectantly to the door.

"Head Captain, why have we been called here?" asked Hitsugaya, making the three earliest captains look to each other in surprise. If he was hiding contraband, would he be able to hide the zanbakto and get to the meeting so fast just to cover his tracks? As the time dragged on and the captains got more and more restless at Zaraki's lateness, the truth of the matter slowly dawned on the three captains. This was bad. Very bad.

* * *

><p>The men cowered in their boots, barely able to look the other man in the eye.<p>

"I'm sorry sir, but we can't open the Senkaimon without-" The man stomped his foot impatiently, making the ground shake.

"I'm a captain! I have business in the world of the living so you'll open it right now!" bellowed Kenpachi irritably, "Or do I have to make you?" The two gate guards looked to each other helplessly.

"Very well sir. Where would you like to go?"

"To Karakura town!" he declared, clutching the second scabbard and sea blue hilt in his hand with excitement, "I've got a score to settle!"


	11. Chapter 11

_Many years ago_

The Kuchiki estate was blessed with a high, bright sun that beat down onto the neatly trimmed flowerbed. The carp in the river swam lazily beneath the decorative bridge, keen to escape the hot sun. Apart from a few attendants that patrolled and glared disapprovingly to the small white and blue shape that topped the bridge, the manor was silent.

Arashi rolled his shoulders over and over again, trying to get comfortable in the new kimono. He tried in vain to roll up his sleeves again, which instantly fell back down until they covered his hands. He grunted in frustration and contemplated ripping this stupid thing to shreds, but he remembered what the man had said; he mustn't misbehave or he'll be told off and wouldn't be allowed back, and that would disappoint Rukia. And he mustn't do that, no matter what, so he just went back to watching the river run past, trying to stroke the koi, who shied away from his finger tips. He started to get irritated from the lack of curiosity from the animals, so he lay down on the wood and reached down as far as he could. Even at his full arm's length, he could only manage to reach his wrist into the freezing water. He started to crawl forwards, getting closer and closer to the edge of the bridge and curling his arm into the water inch by inch. He stretched with all of his might and managed to grasp at the tail of a huge carp, which panicked and thrashed, shaking the small boy from the bridge with a cry and pulling him into the water. Just as he was about to plunge in head first, a strong grip latched onto his kimono and pulled him up with ease. As he slowly revolved in the grip, he gulped as Mr. Kuchiki stared at him.

"What were you doing to my fish?" he asked sternly, not letting go of Arashi.

"Uh, I was just playing with them, honest!" He tried to smile, but Mr. Kuchiki didn't want to smile. He just grunted and set the boy back down.

"Follow me. We're going to go see someone very important, so you need to be polite and respectful. Is that understood?" He glanced back to the small boy in tow, who just nodded as he slowly burned his arms with the friction of the sleeves he was so desperate to free his arms of. Byakuya snapped at him to stop, which the boy quickly did. Good, he thought, he does as he's told.

Arashi was led in total silence through the estate and barracks and finally out into the Seireitei, where the tall Soul Reapers looked at him with suspicion as he walked along in the shadow of the captain. Eventually, the first squad barracks loomed in the distance, making the young boy gawp at the massive structure.

"Mr. Kuchiki?" Arashi asked, tugging at the older man's kimono, "Does the old man Soul Reaper live there?" Arashi received a stern stare that made it clear that Mr. Kuchiki didn't like people touching his clothes, so Arashi just shied away and was about to apologise, but the man had already started walking again.

"You need to brush up on your manners, and fast. The person you just called 'old man' is Head Captain Yamamoto." He turned to Arashi, "Do you know what that means?" The boy shook his head slowly, making Byakuya give a little snort of irritation. Did this boy know nothing of class? Of respect and honour? "It means that he exceeds us all, and that means that you have to constantly show him the utmost respect at all times. Understand?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. The boy was still fidgeting around in his kimono and didn't look like he fully comprehended the gravity of the situation. But Byakuya was smart; he knew how the boy ticked. He stopped and lowered his eyes to little Arashi, who nearly tripped over his sleeves in surprise.

"If you don't speak very nicely to head Captain Yamamoto, Rukia will get told off because you're too young to be punished, understand?" At the mention of his beloved sister's name and with the consequence of her being punished on his behalf, the small boy straightened up and nodded solemnly, suddenly feeling that his clothes fit him perfectly. Byakuya grunted, not entirely convinced that he fully understood, but that was all he could teach him without taking days to have one of his stewards tutor the boy, and he doubted that a feat like that would be possible in the thirty seconds they had before they crossed the bridge and reached the head captain's office. Byakuya knocked softly and the silver-haired lieutenant let them in, the sight of his hair bringing a large smile to Arashi's face as they walked by. The lieutenant removed the captain's zanbakto and placed it on the table beside the door, staring curiously after the small boy. The hunch-backed form turned from its balcony view of the entire Seireitei and instead to the captain and his result.

"So, this is him, is it, Captain Kuchiki?" he asked, receiving a stiff nod from Byakuya, who pushed Arashi forwards. At the sight of the ancient man staring down at him, Arashi gulped and started to shake, but composed himself and remembered what Byakuya had said. He bowed low and didn't say a word.

"Captain Kuchiki, have you truly considered this... boy that you thought so important? You claim that he has immense spiritual energy and pressure, yet I can feel nothing!" he barked with irritation. Byakuya gawped for a moment at the boy, who was still folded into a bow. Now that he had threatened his sister, Arashi had made himself completely powerless. Byakuya was about to say something, anything, to make the boy release his spiritual pressure, which he clearly didn't know how to do, when an odd 'clunk' made the floor vibrate. Arashi visibly stiffed and curled his arms to his chest, but Byakuya could easily spot a small pendant hanging from his neck. He tried to swipe it back into his kimono, but Yamamoto was drawn to it.

"Young man, stand up." he ordered, frightening Arashi as part of the pendant still stuck out of his kimono. Yamamoto's face softened as he kneeled before the boy, leaning heavily on his cane as he looked into the pale face. "What's your name, young man?" Arashi gulped, but proclaimed his given name confidently and with a proud chin. Yamamoto actually chuckled a little.

"That's a mighty strong name you have there. Are you called that by your friends or is it something shorter?" Arashi looked at him unsurely, but answered nonetheless, remembering his promise to Byakuya.

"Well, uh, Head Captain, you can just call me 'Rai' for short."

"Alright Rai, what's that you've got there?" He extended a bony finger to Arashi's chest where the white stone was hidden against the pale skin but revealed by the blue trim of the trainee kimono. Arashi, drawn to the power of the head captain, slowly hooked his fingers around the pendant and pulled it into view. It was a Yin symbol that was carved out of a white pebble stone that had been buffered and shined by the waters of a river, but carved by shoddy tools so there were shallow groves all over it, the work of an amateur.

"Did you make this?" asked Yamamoto. The boy nodded, but didn't make a move to allow the head captain to touch it, so he just stayed where he was. "It's very good. Where is the other half?" Yamamoto's heart was thumping a little harder than usual, for there was something very odd about that little piece of stone. Something powerful was inside of it, possibly what had caught Kuchiki's attention. Just as the small boy opened his mouth to reply, the lieutenant picked up on the strange power the amulet was emanating and stepped forward.

"Hey, kid, that thing's doing something weird. For the protection of the Head Captain, you have to give that to me right now!" He held out his hand expectantly, but Arashi was lost, still holding the cord, he turned to Byakuya in panicked confusion. In much less visible panic, he shifted his gaze to Yamamoto, who shook his head seriously. The two captains shared a knowing nod and Byakuya said nothing to the small boy, who was looking more and more distressed with every second.

"I said give that to me!" barked the lieutenant, striding forwards with his hand outstretched. Arashi took a step back at the sight of the imposing man, who kneeled and tried to snatch it from the small boy.

"No!" he yelled, grabbing the wrist of the man with one hand and defending his possession with the other, "That's mine!" Out of pure reflex, Arashi threw the lieutenant's hand down. Straight through the solid wood and concrete floor. The man yelled as his cheek hit the wooden panels and the splintered wood sprayed into his face, his arm thrashing in the ceiling above the squad barracks below. Byakuya's eyes widened in surprise as the boy's pressure suddenly burst out, making his ears pop with the sudden rise in pressure. The boy scowled evilly at the lieutenant, backing away slowly with his hands clasped around the Yin, seemingly not noticing the force he was outputting all around him.

"Arashi! Enough!" Like the wind blows away unsettled dust, the mighty captain's voice scattered the wild spiritual pressure and the boy's eyes widened. As the buzzing roar was quelled nearly instantly, the small stone began to ring in his hand. In the silence that followed, a few squad members surgically cut away the floor and eased the shattered wristed lieutenant out of the door, glaring daggers at the boy who returned them with just as much venom.

Byakuya could almost hear the other nobles mocking him. He, the great head of the Kuchiki clan, the most powerful and most honourable family in all of the Soul Society, had found the means to have his name engraved into history. This boy was supposed to be the solution to all of their problems, and here he was, breaking the bones of a superior over a commoner's trinket. He looked emotionlessly at Yamamoto, who was giving the boy a strange look. Was the head captain smiling? Yes, the lips and eyelids on the ancient man had taken a slight curve at the edge. Byakuya's spirit lifted with them; could the head captain be so wise as to see past this and instead see the same value and potential as Byakuya did on the day he first laid eyes on the boy? Yes, that must be it. He had been preparing young Arashi for the meeting with the head captain for months. When he tried to make him go in the past, the boy was not only stubborn enough to not budge an inch, but was smart enough to have a reason to justify it, forcing Byakuya to talk him into the thought of entering the Seireitei and leaving Rukia unattended. Byakuya admired him, in a way; he knew what was important to him and could see how to best achieve his goals. Should he grow older and wiser, he may even make a true nobleman out of him! Yes, Byakuya's brilliance surprised himself. He could even-

"How did you do that?" the Head Captain asked, cutting off Byakuya's train of thought. He didn't say it angrily, more of a grandfather who had found his grandchild with his hand in a hidden cookie jar. Arashi loosened his defensive pose slightly and tucked away the amulet, watching the door cautiously.

"Ru said that I shouldn't talk about how I do it or we'll get in trouble." The ringing around his neck stopped and Arashi breathed a sigh of relief. "But he tried to take my Yin, so I hit him. And I won't say sorry!" He crossed his arms defiantly, expecting a scolding as Byakuya did when he didn't act in the proper manner. Yamamoto didn't say a word more to the boy but nodded to himself slowly.

"Well, Captain Kuchiki, it appears that this may work. You have done a good thing in bringing this young man to our attention. Now please, take him back home. I expect his family will be missing him." The boy and the man bowed out of the room, leaving Yamamoto to his thoughts.

Kuchiki had found the perfect candidate, a chance at stopping what had not yet begun. But the fact that a perfect candidate had been found made Yamamoto sick to his stomach at the same time. To think of what the candidate would have to do was sorrowful, for a candidate to carry out the task was sickening. But for Yamamoto to think back to that small, shining face that lit up as he was allowed to go home, the same face that would be turned into an instrument, made Yamamoto feel unclean and disgusted with himself. But as he looked back over the Seireitei and the Soul Society beyond, he remembered the cause; this. The existence of two worlds hung in the balance of the dedication and sacrifice the boy was willing to go through. His age, looks and relationships didn't matter anymore. They couldn't. The tests were already designed, the ones that were tailored to suit only him. He had to do it, one way or another.

* * *

><p><em>Present Day<em>

Urahara was losing steam fast. Arashi had left in the early hours of the afternoon, around 2:30pm. It had taken Urahara well over an hour to convince himself that it was the right thing to do and another hour to prepare himself physically and the area around the shop spiritually. It was now six in the evening and Urahara was still pacing with Benihime at his side. Tessai had taken Ururu and Jinta away for a few days on a 'company holiday trip.' They would never realise that the boy who they had nursed back to health was dead. As far as they were concerned, he had only stopped by as a passing fancy. Urahara stopped his pacing and adjusted his hat to better hear the familiar whoosh of air and flutter of cloth that was the tell-tale sign of a flying Soul Reaper. This was it. Arashi was here now. All he had to do was take him by surprise. That was what Benihime said and of course she was right; after all he had done to get here, he deserved not to know that it was in vain.

Footsteps on the roof. He was here. Urahara took his stance by the counter and gripped Benihime with both of his hands, raising the blade above his head.

"I'm sorry, Rai." he whispered, his voice wavering slightly, "Screech," his grip tightened as the footsteps neared the closed doors. As the fluttering of clothing sounded like a claxon in the quiet night and a figure dropped before the door, Urahara brought the sword down. "BENIHIME!" The red wave screamed like a bottle rocket and cleaved the store roof in two. In the mass of sound and dust, the doors fell forwards pathetically, leaving Urahara trembling amidst the wreckage of his shop.

"I'm so, so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" replied a voice. Urahara's head snapped back up with such force that his hat went twirling into the air. He missed? No, he couldn't have missed him, not at that range! He was supposed to be undercover; there was no way that his spiritual pressure could protect him from that! But the rising figure that was pushing broken wall and door aside like paper begged to differ.

"You know, I was just gonna ask you nicely where that little pipsqueak was, but if you're so intent on fighting me..." Urahara started to shake his head in shame; he had hit the wrong person, and the person that he did hit was something more than a problem. The figure kept on rising until the huge body towered in the air, bells ringing to their master's glee.

"You know you only gotta ask me." Kenpachi grinned his grin and drew his blade.

* * *

><p>"Well Orihime, I think we've intruded too much already and it's getting dark, so I think we'll be heading home." Arashi sat up from the couch and gave a little bow to his hostess.<p>

"But we're having fun!" she whined back to him, paintbrush in hand and tipped in black. Ichigo was still sitting on the stool that had been set up for the loser of each Blackjack match. On Arashi's wish, they had started to play the penalty game. Arashi was winning with only a thin, curly moustache painted on in black paint, Orihime was second was a butterfly on her cheek and a mono-brow. Rukia had got off lightly with a collection of winged hearts and zigzags flying across her nose, but the prize piece of art for the evening went to Orihime's masterpiece. Ichigo grinded his teeth with his losing cards still clutched in hand as another kitten with huge eyes was painted with expert precision. Ichigo raised his hands but daren't move his head.

"Yeah, I think we better head back now! Definitely late!" he agreed with gusto as a furry tail was gently painted onto his jaw bone. Orihime sighed sadly,

"But it's only six thirty and it's Friday! Just a little longer?" Arashi felt a little out of place, being the one spoiling the fun. He looked back outside at the dark sky and swept his hair.

"Well... I suppose you guys don't have to go back, but I really need to talk to Urahara. Well, see you guys tomorrow then!" he waved and raised his hood, stepping out into the bitter cold winter air. He landed beside a parked car and looked around the quiet night. He laughed to himself in the freezing wind as his breath turned to ice; he always hated the cold and quiet, but this cold felt good, almost nostalgic of when his old home let the winter winds sail in through the gaps between the metal sheets. A snowball whistled through the air and nearly clipped Arashi, who turned to see a pair of boys stumbled around a corner with an armful of snowballs each. Without thinking, Arashi gave in to the giddy feeling and scraped and handful of snow off of a car, packed it up into a ball and hurled it back at the boys. His aim was straight and the boy got an eyeful of snow as his friend turned to the car.

"Hey, who's there?" he called, peering at Arashi without reaction. Arashi was about to call back when he realised that humans couldn't ordinarily see snowball-hurling spirits that also destroyed and exorcised demons. Arashi kneeled beside the car and wrote an apology message for the boy who's lip was trembling and took off for the rooftops, getting back into the saddle of flashstep. He had never favoured going from solid ground to solid ground; he always preferred launching himself into the air and giving into the momentum of his speed and drifting through the air. As he sailed by a passing pigeon he brushed the wing, making the poor creature panic and fly straight into Arashi's face. He yelped and rolled in the air, losing his aerodynamic pose and turning into a thrashing ball of material which occasionally spouted a feather. He finally managed to free the bird from his hood and threw it out into open air, twisted in mid-flight and landed gently atop a telephone pole, twisting his head around. What was that? Urahara's spiritual pressure? No, there was another's, and that person's was contesting with Kisuke's! Kisuke was fighting! Forgetting the few meagre apologies he had prepared, he raced off to the fight and tried to ignore the sinking feeling that his stomach that hinted at exactly who was fighting Urahara.

* * *

><p>Urahara grunted as sparks flew from Benihime colliding with Zaraki's zanbakto as the huge man loomed over him with his leer still on.<p>

"Looks like you got off a lucky shot." He gestured to his bleeding shoulder that Benihime had cleaved open. "I'll ask you one more time; where's that little rat?" Urahara grunted and leaped away from him, giving him a good view of the damage; Kenpachi clearly wasn't expecting the shot as his left arm was hanging uselessly at his side with a long, thin object clutched in the unresponsive grip. Only by concentrating on the end of the object could Urahara see the street light illuminating the warn blue ribbon laced through the hilt of the too familiar zanbakto.

"Well well well, what's that? Have something we're not supposed to?" Zaraki glanced down at his arm and laughed,

"What, this little piece of junk? Just a little gift that I picked up for our mutual friend. You know, I get the impression that this thing doesn't like me; I've gotten a little shock off it a few times. But that hardly matters now." He prized his fingers from the scabbard and let it drop on the floor before launching forwards again. Urahara dodged and leaped away, diving to incapacitate the large man and never attacking the same way twice. Zaraki was easy to work out; he never used tact or even basic kendo techniques, he simply swung with force and seemed to think that he'd win. With every dive, Urahara put another cut in a limb, slowly weakening each limb, but his tactic failed as he slashed at Zaraki's ankle but lost his footing and fell. As Zaraki turned to find him flat on his back, Urahara scrabbled to throw away the object behind him and leaped after it. Now he'd be able to hit Zaraki again without having to worry about whatever he'd just tripped over.

* * *

><p>"Sir, we've found him!" called the squad twelve member who was frantically scanning for Captain Zaraki's spiritual pressure. "He's in Karakura town, sir!" Kuroschuchi, Yamamoto, Hitsugaya and Soifon crowded closer to the monitor and got a bird's-eye view of Kenpachi standing amidst a pile of rubble in the poor light of the moon and a distant street light. "He's injured, sir! His body also carries traces of the outcast's zanbakto, but the hand that's emanating it is severely damaged!"<p>

"Who has done this?" demanded Yamamoto, but the answer came screaming across the screen to be broken by a swing of Zaraki's sword.

"Ex-captain Kisuke Urahara, sir!" A screen flashed next to the squad member, who gasped and watched the data flash before him. "We've tracked the outcast's zanbakto! It's appearing on-screen now." As Kenpachi stood still amidst the rubble and deflected wave after wave of searing red energy, an ultra-violet blue strip began to glow at his feet.

"It... It appears that Captain Zaraki isn't moving as to defend the zanbakto from that damned Urahara!" Soifon burst out, surprising Yamamoto; how could he have been so blind? Of course, Zaraki had no incentive to steal the zanbakto, whilst Urahara had every reason to! Zaraki wasn't a traitor, Urahara was aiding the outcast! Urahara lunged forwards and his sword screamed at close range, allowing Urahara to knock the scabbard away from Zaraki and escape with it.

"Captain Soifon," Yamamoto began quickly, "I want you to go to Karakura Town immediately and extract that zanbakto! The outcast must not get it!" Soifon nodded and took off to fetch her blade and get to the battle as soon as possible. Thinking fast, Hitsugaya looked back to the screen and found his excuse.

"I'll go with her; Captain Zaraki is going to get himself killed if this caries on!" He took off out of the room, not waiting for what the head captain had to say. Soon, it wouldn't matter. He had no intention of going with Soifon, nor did he have any desire to help Kenpachi fight Urahara.

* * *

><p>As the fight raged on, Soifon silently slipped out of the Senkaimon and dropped to the ground, glaring at the blonde who was still cutting up Zaraki, who was laughing like a maniac with his eye patch still on. Freaks, the both of them, as was the approaching spiritual pressure. He was coming to aid Urahara, she could feel it. After scanning the ground, she spotted the scabbard. She ran over to it, but a shadow blocked the moonlight and clouded it in darkness. For the second time in a matter of days, she looked into the unfathomable abyss of dark lavender that she had learned to hate. As Arashi reached the height of his jump, he spotted Soifon and bellowed down to her. He landed without effort on solid air, crouched then launched himself at Soifon. Having fought him many times before, she could instantly tell that he was not here to play. She dived back as his fist ploughed into the ground and nearly got a hold of the scabbard. She clutched his sword in her hand and laughed imperiously as he checked his feet to make sure he hadn't crushed it. From the depths of the hood, she could feel the eyes on her.<p>

"Bee, we really need to stop meeting like this!" She could hear the omnipresent, unprofessional smile in his voice that made her grind her teeth to hear. "I believe you have something of mine and I'd really appreciate it if you would give it back as I have an urgent appointment with dear old Yamamoto!" He give a smile that reflected the moonlight and matched Ichimaru's, outright insulting Soifon.

"How dare you speak to me like that, you little swine?" Arashi was taken aback.

"But... I was being serious..." The silence lasted, Arashi really hoping that she would just hand over the sword without any violence. Soifon took a moment to breathe and planned her attack.

"Alright, pipsqueak, how about this; we decide who walks away with the zanbakto with a game?" Arashi chuckled and gave a little bow.

"Honoured that we are such close friends that you know I'm a sucker for fun, captain." Soifon forced herself to stay calm, for the look of humiliation that she would put him through would be well worth his childish ridicule.

"Here's the rules: I put the sword on the ground between us. The first person to grab it with their left hand, wins. Deal?" He gave an odd laugh and didn't respond, instead trying to win the game early by flash stepping straight to his prize. Soifon beat him to it with her superior skill and kicked him hard in the ribs, making him retreat.

"Ow! Bee!" he whined in the most annoying tone he could muster, "That hurt! That's not very nice! I'll tell on you! Yuroichi's gonna be so mad if we hurt each other!" She laughed and cracked her knuckles.

"You think I'm going to go easy on you just because you say that? Grow up, will you?" Arashi cocked his head.

"But I don't want to fight you. You really wanna hurt me that bad?" he asked in a hurt tone, frustrating Soifon even more.

"Just shut up and fight me-"

"If you insist." Soifon's eyes opened in horror as she realised her mistake. Arashi had flash stepped right beside her in her moment of frustration and grabbed her arm. Following his momentum without missing a beat, he rolled behind her and restrained her arm tightly. "Will this do?" She swung her arm out and elbowed him hard in the temple that he had been careless enough to leave open, making him recoil and letting her escape. She dived for the zanbakto, but tripped on the ankle that swept her legs beneath her.

"That wasn't nice, Bee, I was only kidding!" he didn't say it with humour, it was almost sincere. She then remembered all the reasons why she hated this child and decided that, now he had started to fight her, she would be allowed to kill on terms of self-defence. Skipping away from him, she drew her zanbakto and the fight began in earnest.

* * *

><p>Arashi dived again, not about the caught again by that stinger. He looked down to his kimono and opened the chest, which was covered in butterflies, as were his arms and face.<p>

"Hey, Soifon, check out my ink!" he laughed as she lunged again, moving faster than Arashi had expected and nearly hitting the mark on his heart. Arashi flash stepped away at the last second, his eyes glowing with panic. "That was a little too close for comfort, Bee. Would you mind not doing that again? It's just that I don't hit girls." He slowly walked backwards and Soifon realised that she had left the zanbakto wide open from him to grab, but as long as she kept the pressure on and he kept to his little games, she could strike again and again and not receive a thing in return. She put on a burst of speed and charged at him, but the sneaky little freak responded in kind and swung out his knee, hitting her in the side and knocking the wind from her.

"This game's getting old now, Bee. Now retreat before I have to hurt you." he said seriously, glaring down at her as the sword lay between them yet again as Benihime still screamed only feet away from them. Arashi watched her carefully before diving for the sword, but the slight moment hesitation gave Soifon all the time she needed to stand and flash step there first. Instead of slowing, Arashi put on speed and charged into Soifon, grabbing her wrist and swinging her zanbakto away. She coiled her legs around his and rolled them to the floor and sat on his waist. She sat atop him with her stinger ready, victorious. Then, he did something that Soifon wasn't expecting; he kissed his hand and leaned forward to stroke her face lovingly, letting his hood fall to reveal his dreamy eyes. As Soifon took a moment to comprehend what had happened, Arashi laughed and grinned again.

"Psych! Gotcha, Bee." he said with wink. Again, the little swine pulled a sneaky move, which had given him enough time to reach around Soifon with his free hand grab his zanbakto, laying it on the back of her neck. "Stalemate. How boring." He eyed the zanbakto that hovered inches away from his marked neck as he kept the pressure on Soifon's neck. He sighed into the snarling face and his face softened. "What are you doing here, Soifon? I don't want to hurt you; I just want to get by-"

"Talk one more time, I dare you!" she screamed into his face, wiping the look off his face again. "I don't care what you want to do and I don't care how you feel about me or anything else, I just want to kill for humiliating me!" Arashi narrowed his eyes and put on a slight smile,

"You can't be talking about-" Not wanting to hear his ridicule, she screamed and lunged, but instead of hitting skin, Soifon's zanbakto hit solid steel that had materialised between them suddenly. The sword shifted so it was parallel with Arashi's, trapping Soifon in a vice.

"Step away from him, Captain Soifon, or you'll regret it." The two rivals, who were still entwined in a tangle of limbs, gawked at the owner of the sword. Soifon was helpless, yet she knew that she would have other chances to kill the freak, so she glared at the traitor and disappeared, ready to report to the Society. Toshiro stared after her for a moment before shifting his gaze to Arashi and smiling slightly.

"Long time, no see, eh Rai?"


	12. Chapter 12

Just in case you missed it from the actual series, 'Shunshin' is a nickname of Yuroichi's :3 So, let's just refresh our memories of the story so far in true Bleach tradition:

Several weeks before the Hōgyoku is ready for Aizen to use, a portal from Hueco Mundo opened in Karakura Town, releasing the mentally unstable and hate-filled former captain of the fourteenth court squad. He is found and rescued by Yuroichi and Urahara, both of whom seem to have long-lasting ties with Arashi, who has since calmed down and forgiven them for 'not coming to his aid.' His mood improves further as he is reunited with Rukia, his sister. The connection is apparent through their identically coloured eyes. Staying a few days with Urahara, Arashi's wild spiritual pressure and energy began to equalise, meaning that he could walk freely, but due to his lack of knowledge of the area and his fear of being found by the Soul Society, he stayed within the shop, bored. According to Urahara, who was a captain with Arashi at the time, Arashi was branded a traitor and an outcast for attacking a fellow captain, Mayuri Kuroschuchi, and exiled to Hueco Mundo in hope that he would be overwhelmed and killed by the Hollows. But he survived for a whole five centuries, reduced to insanity and anger at his betrayals and lonliness.

But, in all their wisdom, the Soul Society instantly picked up on Arashi's resurgence and squad 2 captain Soifon was dispatched with her Punishment Force with the intention of killing the escaped convict. When the two captains finally met, Arashi displayed his prowess in hand-to-hand combat and manages to fend off majority of the attacks from the Punishment Force with ease, even with his weakened state. Arashi also tried to goad Soifon out of hiding by referring to past fights between them and using her youth nickname 'Bee,' which she only ever let her then mentor Yuroichi use. After feeling his strength begin to ebb once more, Arashi is forced into a retreat by Rukia with Ichigo covering them from the attacking forces. But when they arrive back at the shop, Arashi finds that his sword has been cut from his back, leaving his power reduced. Without any way of pursuing or effectively fighting the long-gone captain, Arashi shuts himself in his room and broods over his loss. Len the skeleton pays him a visit and tries to talk him into destroying and burning the enemies' stronghold to the ground and haunts his nightmares, working his sinister ways over the boy in his sleep. Urahara confides in Tessai that he expected Arashi to be a little unstable, but not to the extent that he would talk to himself. Seeing no way to immediately help the boy with the psychological trauma of imprisonment, they leave him be.

Following an argument with Urahara, who refused to let him train Arashi train to get himself stronger and start his own war of revenge against the Soul Society, who he claims as liars and back-stabbers, Arashi storms off into the town and encounters Orihime. Realising that there was something odd about the lone Soul Reaper, Orihime invites him back to her home. After feeding him and giving him drink, the two started to connect. Arashi informed her of his sister and relations, but kept his Soul Reaper identity mainly a secret. After probing a little more, Arashi convinced the girl to tell him the story of Rukia's execution and rescue, which enraged Arashi to his very core, not that he let it show. After tying up the ends with Ichigo and Rukia, the four became closer friends over a punishment game. All the while, Urahara tried to pump himself and for a fight and reasons with himself and his zanbakto that he must kill Arashi for the good of many more. Blade drawn, he impatiently waits in the shop for his old friends to return for the sole purpose of killing him as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, in the Soul Society, Soifon delivers the sword to the department of Research and Development. Kuroschuchi examines the sword in great detail, analysing all of the spiritual pressures it had ever encountered. Drawn by the immense power of the outcast's zanbakto, Kuroschuchi reaches out to touch it in its secure membrane, but it surprised when the sword revolves of its own will and cuts him. The wound does not heal and continues to bleed as if it were fresh, an effect that a lamenting Ukitake calls 'Honenuki Tsume.' (Eviscerating Talon) Reading the reports from the machines connected to the sword, Kuroschuchi concludes the result that only the oldest captains seem to be privy to: Arashi's zanbakto had claimed the lives of many thousands of Quincies, yet very few Hollows.

Fuelled by her hatred of Arashi and the disgust at the atrocity of genocide, she decides to visit the Central Archive and confirm it for herself. Sifting through the information, she finds a video file that was taken at a peace conference held by the Soul Society in the early months of the Soul Reaper – Quincy war. After Grand Master Likun, an elder and leader of the Quincies, refuses to be tricked into giving up a war that would be fought regardless and gets angry at Yamamoto's requests, Arashi enters the room, asking after the disturbance. Spitting insults at the young captain, Likun draws his bow and threatens to kill Yamamoto on the spot. As Arashi calmly tries to ask him to lower the weapon, Likun labels him as a 'freak' and fires his crossbow point-blank into Arashi face. Incredibly, his spiritual pressure rose quickly and vastly enough for the bolt to be stopped, but not before it had pierced the outer layers of his right eye. Half-blinded and in pain, Arashi dragged the bolt from his eye and used it, along with his bare hands, to brutally execute the Grand Master on the spot, warning his men to run if they wished to keep their lives. With blood pouring from the wound, Arashi apologises to the head captain and stumbles outside, ordering his squad to take him to Urahara.

Back in the present day, the department of Research and Development is broken into with destructive force and Arashi's zanbakto is stolen. Yamamoto, Ukitake and Kyoraku simultaneously suspect Toshiro Hitsugaya for stealing the zanbakto due to the connection between Arashi and himself. They are surprised, however, when a report comes in that Urahara has been spotted fighting Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, the sword between them. Quickly changing theories, Yamamoto reasons that it couldn't have been Toshiro as Urahara would have more reasons for stealing the zanbakto away for the sake of his old friend. Fearing the consequences of Arashi being re-united with his zanbakto, Yamamoto orders Soifon to eliminate the former captain immediately. Hatching his own plan, Toshiro claims to be going to aid the wounded Kenpachi and also sets off for Urahara's shop. Little does Yamamoto know, Kenpachi was the true thief all along and took the sword to the world of the living to 'settle a score' with Arashi. In a moment of panic, Urahara lashes out at Kenpachi, who was only going to ask after Arashi's location.

Meanwhile, Arashi senses the disturbance of the fight and assumes that Urahara was being attacked because he had gotten him involved in his own mess. He arrives at the fight to encounter Soifon, who guarded the sword. Arashi greets her peacefully after missing the first lunge for the scabbard and asks politely for the sword. Soifon agrees to let him keep the sword under the condition that he can win a game that was balanced in Soifon's favour from the start, but Arashi agrees regardless. After Arashi made repeated attempts for the sword, Soifon uses her superior flash step training to keep him away from the prize whilst riddling his every inch of skin with the butterfly-like marks of her zanbakto. Even after he narrowly avoids death multiple times, Arashi is still to attack Soifon, claiming that he can't hit a girl. He also makes several sincere and heartfelt attempts to simply ask for the sword, stating that he doesn't want to fight Soifon and is hurt that she has so much loathing for him. After they reach of pinnacle position and Arashi seems beaten with death hovering inches away from his marked neck, he kisses his hand and lovingly caresses Soifon's cheek and lets his hood fall to reveal his dreamy eyes. This ploy stuns Soifon and gives him all the time he needs to reach his sword and force them into a stalemate. After pleading a final time for Soifon to retreat, she grows enraged at the fact that he is still alive and vows to kill him for humiliating her. With a sly smile, Arashi starts to remind the captain of said occasion, causing her to lunge and double-check one of the hundreds of marks that she had already made. Just as the blade was about to connect and end Arashi's life, a third zanbakto blocks Soifon's and forces her to retreat through superior numbers. Unfazed at Soifon labelling him traitor as she disappeared through the Senkaimon, Toshiro smiles to 'Rai,' a name he is only called by his closest friends when he and Rukia were children, and helps him to his feet.

So... That took a while to read, didn't it? Well, sides have been chosen, bonds have been reformed and more are uncovered with every passing day. War is surely on the horizon, but could this Arashi, the same boy who joked with Urahara and Yuroichi like old friends, who laughed and smiled around the clock, who reminisced with Rukia about old times and made friends with Orihime, possibly be the same traumatised, insane, revenge-bent captain, infamous amongst the most elite captains for his genocide of the Quincies? And just what is happening in Las Noches?

* * *

><p><em>Several days ago, deep in Hueco Mundo<em>

As the tall, ghostly figures approached the domed fortress of Las Noches, a white-clad figure ventured out to meet them. Through a series of grunts and signals, the towering Gillian communicated their message and fled the brightly lit fortress for the familiar surroundings of the cold desert. With a large smile on his face, the figure turned back to the palace and entered the great hall of the Espada. He walked by them easily, ignoring their impatient glares and revelling in his power over them; he'd walk as slow as he damn well pleased, because he could. As a bespectacled Espada adjusted his glasses and folded his arms, he gave a sigh of irritation. The figure took a childish glee in stopping and turning his smile to the Espada, who instantly backed down beneath the slit eyes and the silver hair.

"Gin, what have they found?" asked Aizen from atop his great marble pedestal, looking down at his subordinate. The ex-captain turned to Aizen and chuckled.

"They say that he is still in the area and doesn't seem to be breaking repetition. If we are planning to attack him, we will need some kind of distraction to lure him away from his fortress and out into the open where he can't-"

"Gin, enough." Aizen cut his thoughts off, making him cock his head. "If I was planning on an assault, don't you think we would have already moved? No, I have something else in mind." He scanned the room for the two most bored looking Espada and quickly found them. "Grimmjow, Yammy, I have an assignment for you. You are to go south of Las Noches and find a hidden fortress within a mountain that borders the desert. Once you have found it, retrieve our fallen comrade and send back word with your Fracción on whether or not a young boy is in the area. But be wary, as you must not attempt to fight him. He may appear to be a Court Guard Captain, but he is vastly superior. Is that understood, Grimmjow?" Aizen eyed the aggressive Espada with his hauntingly calm smile until Grimmjow finally nodded and filed out of the hall with the hulking Yammy behind him.

_Later_

"Damnit, where is this place?" bellowed Yammy in frustration, glancing back over the grey dunes marked with their footsteps.

"Knock off that yelling, will ya? You're giving me a headache." Grimmjow growled, not stopping his tireless stroll. "Besides, it's right over there." The sixth Espada pointed towards the great, bleak cliff face before them. Deciding to leave the sulking Espada behind and go on ahead, Grimmjow quickly advanced along the cool sand, noting the change underfoot from sand to solid stone. He felt the familiar traces of spiritual pressure of the fallen Espada, but also another one. Grimmjow navigated his way to the top of a stone plateau and gazed down over the flat area that stretched out before cliff face and touched the sand. There, standing perfectly still, was a small blip of white that shone dully against the grey stone beneath it. Grimmjow considered searching around for the so-called 'hidden fortress' when the small stroke of white began to move slowly towards the cliff face, oblivious to Grimmjow and Yammy's presence. Grimmjow watched with curiosity and thought back over Aizen's warning. He was not to attack the Soul Reaper; he was far stronger than he appeared. How, wondered Grimmjow, could someone as short as that possibly be stronger than a captain, much less be more powerful than the sixth Espada? Grimmjow had to blink and check he wasn't hallucinating when the Soul Reaper approached the flat cliff face, turned with his shoulder to it and started to climb the air. Grimmjow stood and realised that he had been staring at the hidden fortress the entire time, for the boy was climbing a staircase that was only visible from a certain angle. The Soul Reaper stopped and sat down and ran his hand across his head, removing the white hood that distinguished him as a captain to reveal the unmistakable face of a child, and a crying one at that.

"A kid?" Grimmjow spluttered to himself, "I'm not allowed to take on a kid? I could hand this little punk his ass on a platter in a second, there's no way he could-" The boy stood again and Grimmjow felt a little shock; had he been shouting so loud that the kid could hear him? No, he was carrying on up the stairs. He turned and, just like that, the mountain absorbed him. Grimmjow used his Sonido to reach the top of the staircase without a sound and saw the little punk stare up at a blank stone wall in the near-darkness. He placed his hand flat on the stone and pushed, a huge stone door carved into the cave giving way and revealing a hall to match Las Noches'. It seemed that whatever was going on in the little weirdo's head, it was consuming enough for him not to notice Grimmjow slipping through the door and slinking into the shadows behind him. The only light in the entire fortress filtered down from high slits in the walls that bordered the cliff face outside, forcing Grimmjow to take a moment to let his eyes adjust to his prey's habitat. As the kid meandered around the fortress, Grimmjow took a long look around the great hall and started to shiver. He felt odd, as if the walls were watching him and accusing him. As the kid wandered on, Grimmjow was overtaken by the urge to conquer the sensation and reach out and touch the wall. He stretched out his fingers and gently brushed the rough stone- Like the crack of a whip, a shard of bright blue snapped from the mundane grey and stabbed at his finger. Checking that the little oddball still hadn't noticed anything, Grimmjow stared in awe at the walls that surrounded him. So that's what he was feeling; the walls were making him feeling unwelcome, the damn kid had let his spiritual pressure leak out all over the place and it had stuck onto the walls. That wasn't the way of the captains, weren't they supposed to have more discipline than that? Still, at his age, he managed to let this stuff on the walls go to waste and it was still strong enough to give Grimmjow a nasty shock, he better watch himself around this kid.

"Not much happened today, Len." Grimmjow's heart hammered and he dived behind the nearest pillar as the kid finally spoke up, but he didn't have to worry; he was already in another room. He had slipped through another doorway and sounded pretty far off, so Grimmjow chanced a peek. The kid was sitting in a stone throne that was still rooted to the floor that it was still part of, one leg lounging over the side. Wait, did he say 'Len?' Aizen didn't say there were two of them! For as long as he dared, Grimmjow leaned around the door and looked into the far corner of the room, but the kid was looking at a blank wall. He leaned over to his side and kept on talking, picking up a small white, spiked ball. Grimmjow realised with a lurch that the kid wasn't talking to a second person, but rather a skull that was now balanced on his fist. What the hell was with this guy? A Soul Reaper Captain in Hueco Mundo for this long? Talking to a skull? Something was seriously up with this kid.

Grimmjow silently made his way outside after forcing Yammy's barking away and gave his Fracción the message that the kid was still around. After the tall, skeletal man had disappeared back across the pencil grey sand, Grimmjow decided to go back and see what this kid was all about. Maybe he could find a weakness or a flaw in all this abundant power that the kid made, maybe he could turn it against him? Yeah, no one was perfect. All he had to do was observe the kid, who seemed distracted by that skull most of the time, and wait until he showed his power. Grimmjow slipped back into the hidden fortress and went back to the open door of the throne room, but the kid wasn't sitting anymore. He was standing up, glaring at a portal to the human world, still clutching the skull. Like a total freak, he started to yell at it and hurled the relic through, gawking when it sailed through. The hell was up with this kid? Shouting at the air and throwing skulls? He was getting weirder by the second. And what the hell was he yelling about getting betrayed? Grimmjow's heart thumped hard and his anger boiled as he peered back around the corner and just caught the finally glimpse of the white cloak that he wore disappear into the portal.

"Damnit!" bellowed Grimmjow, "Now I'm gonna be bored AND Aizen's gonna be pissed off at me!" If her had turned away or stopped paying attention, he may never have noticed the sound, but his years in his Adjuchas form had honed his hearing enough for him to recognise the thump. Grimmjow turned and found the portal still open with the unmistakeable sounds of stumbling feet echoing around the stone hall. Silent as a lion stalking a gazelle, Grimmjow crept up to the portal and peered through, ready to pounce on his opportunity. The kid was stumbling around in a dingy red-brick enclose, facing away from the portal with his spiritual pressure going haywire, the skull just occupying the boundaries of the portal. Even though the kid was weak enough to be a human every few seconds, the skull and helmet on the floor made Grimmjow think twice about attacking. Making sure the punk hadn't spotted him, Grimmjow kneeled and picked up the skull and surveyed it. Aizen's warning rebounded inside of his head, '_He may appear to be a Court Guard Captain, but he is vastly superior.'_

"Ulquiorra, you dumbass. How'd you lose to this guy?" Well, Grimmjow hated to admit it, but the owner of the skull he now held was killed supposedly with ease by this kid, and he was even stronger than Grimmjow. Still clutching his findings, he backed away from the portal and space resealed, leaving him in silence within the glaring halls. With a heavy sigh, the Espada cast another look around the dark room, spat at the walls that still hissed at him and strode out, making way for Las Noches.

_Later_

"Lord Aizen, the report was wrong, the kid got away through a portal to the human world." Grimmjow reported, expecting Aizen to be furious at the news. But he said nothing. He just looked down to Grimmjow with his calm eyes. Slowly, a smile broke on his lips.

* * *

><p><em>Present day<em>

Arashi stared up at the captain and said nothing. His face was bewildered as he stood to stare into the slightly smaller captain's face, as if he wasn't quite sure of what he was seeing. All at once, he broke out laughing, throwing his arm around Toshiro and grinding his knuckles into his head.

"You hurt me, Shiro! You took longer than I expected! I was beginning to think that you'd forgotten about me!" Toshiro snarled and threw the arm off him, snarling into Arashi's still laughing face.

"I just saved your life! Don't you have a word of thanks for me?" Arashi opened his mouth to respond, but the bellowing behind them cut him off. They turned to see several lieutenants dragging Kenpachi's nearly limp form through a Senkaimon whilst he shouted is protests.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I was having fun! Let go of me!" As the wooden door gently shut and faded into the air, the three former captains had a moment of odd silence to survey the damage; though the shop was torn to pieces, Urahara's spiritual barrier had protected the surrounding buildings. With the last flutter of a Hell Butterfly's wing as it ascended into the sky, the markings that covered Arashi body faded.

"You okay, Kisuke?" Arashi called. Urahara held his stomach, which sported a thin slash, and gave Arashi an extremely odd look. He looked exasperated, as if he were about to say something, but he opted for a shrug and sigh, looking around at the pieces of wood that was once his shop. As he picked through the rubble and shifted the wooden beams, Arashi locked eyes with Toshiro and gave a chuckle, ruffling the smaller boy's hair in a brotherly way.

"It's good to see you again, Toshiro." They stood for a moment and took in the outright alien circumstance before Arashi sat himself in the moonlit dirt courtyard and placed his zanbakto on his lap. He slowly ran his fingers over the scabbard and checked for scratches before grabbing the hilt. He slowly withdrew the sword, enjoying the familiar sound of gently grinding metal, and held it high in the air. Toshiro shivered a little; he still felt odd around that sword. Though he had sparred against it countless times, something about it just didn't feel right. But Arashi was unfazed, checking over every inch of the metal before stopping at the tip.

"What's this? Blood? What have you been up to, then?" The two boys leaned in close and surveyed the dried brown smudge that clung to the gleaming metal.

"Oh, whilst your zanbakto was in the Seireitei, Kuroschuchi did some tests on it and it... it cut him of its own accord." Arashi nodded slowly, sheathing the blade without doing anything about the blood.

"He isn't Kuroschuchi's biggest fan, admittedly, and neither am I. We'll leave him hanging for a little while longer, let the Society know what's coming their way." A shifted beam slammed onto the ground, attracting their attention. Urahara looked over to them begrudgingly and lifted a square wooden panel from the floor.

"Over here, quick, before anyone else shows up." Urahara gingerly descended through the hole and into the earth, Toshiro and Arashi moving to follow, until-

"Rai! Rai!" shouted Rukia from high above, a breathless Ichigo in tow with his zanbakto ready. "What's wrong? Hollow?" She landed beside her brother and turned in total panic, making Arashi giggle,

"Worried about your little brother, Ru-chan?" She turned with a scowl and was about to retaliate when she spotted Toshiro, who looked a little lost, but smiling. Ichigo landed and gawked at the destroyed building.

"Is THAT what we felt going on? What the hell happened here?" Arashi suddenly heaved a sigh and threw his arms into the air.

"Ichigo, you're late for the party! It was great, Zaraki brought cake and we had a few drinks with Urahara and things may have gotten a little crazy." He grinned broadly and prepared for Ichigo's retaliation, but a painfully familiar buzzing sound stopped them in their tracks. It was the unmistakable sound of a portal opening from Hueco Mundo.

"We're attracting some unwanted attention out here." said Toshiro, pointing to the expanding dark rip in the sky. "We better get inside." He led the four of them down the ladder into the huge cavern beneath the shop that extended far into the distance all around. Urahara and the shop hands waited at the bottom of the ladder, tending to their bosses' wounds. There was a strange silence when the four teens entered and Urahara didn't meet anyone's eye.

"Hitsugaya, do you realise what you've done? You've betrayed the Soul Society, and they-"

"I am well aware of what I have done, Urahara." he interrupted confidently, holding his chin high. "But I know where my loyalties lie, and in this fight, it is not with the Soul Society. You should know the feeling, Urahara, you're in the same position as I am." Urahara didn't reply, instead pretending to be flexing his torso and sharing an awkward look with Tessai. They had been hiding under here for a while now, but no one but Tessai knew the true sinister reason as to why. Arashi's chest swelled a little, but he looked concerned.

"Shiro, I really appreciate what you're saying, and I can't thank you enough for helping me out with Soifon, but is this really wise? I mean, the Soul Society is hunting me down! Is this the path that you really want to take?" Toshiro nodded confidently and smiled, but the gesture was cut off by Ichigo staring at Toshiro obnoxiously close.

"Wait, now that you've turned on the Soul Society, does that mean you're not a captain anymore? Can I stop calling you captain now, Toshiro?" Toshiro gritted his teeth and was about to correct him out of impulse, but the gravity of what he was doing hit him in a way that he hadn't expected; he was ready to turn on the Soul Society for the sake of his friend, but he suddenly felt ill at the thought of turning against his ex-comrades and even Momo. He had barely thought of her, he wouldn't be able to see her again. What if the Society sent her to battle? What if he was forced to hurt her again? Toshiro was laden with thoughts and considered Arashi's offer to back down and turn away, an escape route from a path he hadn't fully considered. But as he looked over to his friend, one of the two closest friends he had ever had, who was being scorned by his sister, and realised that this had to take priority. Arashi was his friend a long time ago, had taken care of him and looked out for him when Momo couldn't. He had been through hell to get back here, the least Toshiro could do was help him over this hurdle.

"Idiot!" Rukia shouted in Arashi's face, which stood equal with her own, "You should have told us that something was wrong! You damn fool, what if you or Urahara had gotten hurt? How could we get either of you back?"

"I was a little busy not dying! Besides, if a lieutenant and a substitute Soul Reaper were to step into what was effectively an execution match between a captain and a convict, said Soul Reapers would be in a whole heap of trouble! Plus, I'm not hurt, am I? I had it all under control, so that makes it alright, right?" He smiled innocently and Rukia hammered her fists into his shoulders.

"Idiot! Idiot! It's not alright!" she screamed desperately with her head bowed and tightly curled fists still on Arashi's shoulders. All eyes turned to her as she pulled her tear-stained face up to face her brother's. "You just can't stop making me cry, can you? Stupid little bully, what if we lost you again? I don't- I don't think I could go through that again." Arashi sighed and hugged her close as she tried to restrain her tears and keep a stiff upper lip. She looked so small and frail, curled into her brother's shoulder.

"Alright, Ru. I promise, I'll be more careful next time, okay? Come on, it's getting late, you need to head home. I'll come by tomorrow for a visit, alright?" She nodded and kissed him on the cheek, wiping her tears furiously and she strode proudly for the ladder and disappeared from sight. Arashi slowly revolved on the spot and whistled at the scenery.

"Wow, Kisuke, this must've taken a while. Was this down here the whole time?" Urahara nodded stiffly with a slight grimace. "Guess this'll do for training, right? Come on, Toshiro's here now, he'll make sure I behave." Urahara gave the same response and set about choosing a lat piece of rock to set up a futon. He'd placed several of them down there in case the fight with Arashi went on longer than scheduled and Tessai and the kids had to sleep in the basement. He never thought that he'd be the one beaten up and sleeping down here.

Ichigo bid them all good night and followed Rukia, leaving the strange group of deserters alone. Arashi clapped his hands and smiled to the ex-staff,

"Well guys, I don't want to disturb you, so me and Toshiro are gonna head off for a while. Don't wait up for us!" He waved and disappeared with his friend in tow. They travelled for a few minutes, skipping easily over the seemingly endless terrain with the lightness of a feather until they were too far from the ladder to even see it. Arashi laughed dryly as he spotted a plateau that reminded him much of his 'garden' in Hueco Mundo. He leaped to the top of it and dangled his legs from the side, basking in the artificial light of the ceiling with his friend beside him.

"Hey, Rai, mind if I ask you something?" Arashi looked to him and his smile encouraged confidence. "What was it like? In Mundo?" The smile started to break and fell completely. Toshiro scorned himself for asking such a stupid question without considering how Arashi would feel about it. He only ever lost his smile when the situation turned very bad, so this was-

"Hard." He replied, looking down at his feet. "It was difficult, Shiro, and I'm not ashamed to say that I was terrified. Mundo's a cold, harsh place, not meant to sustain life above that of a Hollow, so each day was a physical challenge to survive. But I think what was worse was the quiet. It still makes me shiver to think about it. Just try to image it, a world without colour, warmth or sound. Only the still silence and the endless rock and desert." He trailed off, his words getting slower and fainter. "I was so alone, nothing but death creeping up behind me. But then Len, he saved me from loneliness, he... But enough of that!" he suddenly chirped, turning back to Toshiro with a smile, "What about you? How have you been?" Toshiro started with the sudden break in his friend's words and had to wipe the concerned look off of his face as quickly as he could. He may have wanted to hide it, but Toshiro could see that Mundo had broken something within Arashi. He just prayed that he could help mend it. He talked for as long as he could, talking about all the fun that he had with Momo over the years when he could, anything to draw Arashi away from his memories. It seemed to work after a good hour of talking, but there was no way to tell for sure. They let the conversation fall silent and just gazed over the landscape. They were older and wiser than they had been since they had last parted, but they still felt their friendship going strong, even now.

"So Shiro, how's your sword arm?" Toshiro turned back to Arashi but couldn't find his eyes beneath the hood that had stealthily slipped over his ears. Toshiro could hear the sly grin in his voice and laughed,

"What, you think just because I was away from you, I've grown soft?" Arashi cockily waited in silence, ready to draw his blade in a second. "Alright Rai, be that way. You'll see no reservations from me! Now Rain Over the Frosted Heavens, Hyōrinmaru!" Toshiro swung his zanbakto without waiting, the great ice dragon flowing from the tip of the blade and charging at the old rival. Arashi lunged and ploughed his fist into the dragon's snout, causing it to crack and retreat.

"Don't tell me you're going to be boring, Rai?" Toshiro taunted, "I thought you loathed boredom?" Arashi laughed and reached his left hand over his shoulder, taking hold of the familiar hilt.

"Fine Toshiro, if you want to step up the ante so early, I'll call your bluff." He slowly pulled the blade from the sheathe and held it before him, testing the familiar weight and feeling the energy of battle course through him. Toshiro lunged and their blades clashed, screeching together as they sent sparks flying. Toshiro attacked relentlessly, Arashi keeping a steady, slow, calm back-pedal as the flurry of eager slashes were deflected by his one-handed hold.

"Very good, Toshiro. Your form's improved, but, like you said, I don't like things getting boring, so how about you actually try?" he goaded in a mockingly smooth voice, allowing his block to be swiped aside and Toshiro's zanbakto to hover only an inch from his face.

"Rain Over the Frosted Heavens!" The dragon's head erupted again but halted before its body could form. Toshiro leaned to one side to inspect what was going on and scowled when he found his precious zanbakto's mouth was clamped shut and easily held still by Arashi's right hand. He cocked his head to one side and peered into the dragon's face.

"You know, Toshiro needs to give you a haircut, these whiskers are much too long. How about I do it for you?" With lightning speed, he straightened his hand and rotated it, cleaving the great roaring head into two with his bare hand. He laughed manically as his hand easily divided the entire body that rushed out to meet him and dived forward, clutching Toshiro's kimono and tossing him to the ground.

"Good, Shiro, very good!" he congratulated as Toshiro scrambled back to his feet, "You're a lot stronger than I remember!"

"I told you that I hadn't gone soft! But is this just a training session for me? Isn't your next step to go to the Soul Society?" Arashi cocked his head in confusion,

"That's right," he said slowly, "Why?"

"You're going to need to get stronger too if you want to fight Yamamoto." Toshiro waited expectantly, but Arashi didn't reply. His body started to shake with gentle laughter, which eventually became a side-splitting fit. He fell to a knee and coughed himself back to sanity, peering back at Toshiro through the hood.

"Funny, you don't think I'll manage? Very well then, Captain Hitsugaya, let me remind you who you're dealing with." He clutched the hilt with both of his hands and pointed the blade to the artificial sky, taking a deep breath.

"Raze The Heavens, Raisō!" _(Lightning Talon)_ he cried at the top of his lungs. The world seemed to darken in comparison to the light that shone from Arashi's body, forcing Toshiro to cover his eyes. As the light died, Toshiro looked back to Arashi, who's crazed smile and determined eyes glowed from beneath the hood, his shikai by his side. Every now and then, a blue bolt of electricity would snap and arc gracefully over his body, but that was easily trumped by the vicious white-blue glow of the transformed katana. The guard, which was once eight over-lapping curves, had turned into a floating, glowing ring of energy that seemed to hum, whilst the hilt occasionally sent a cluster of sparks into the air. But all of this paled away in comparison to the elegantly curved spines that gave the blunt edge of the white-blue blade a deadly bite, effectively giving the weapon a second edge. Just as the noble Rukia's shikai was known as the most beautiful in all of the Soul Society, her infamous brother Arashi's took the title of, 'most elegantly deadly.'

"Sometimes, Raisō, I don't know how Sode no Shirayuki can have you as a relative." He smiled down to the blade, then to Toshiro, swapping the blade back to his left hand. "Well, Toshiro? As the current generation say, come at me, bro!" Still using his one-handed grip Arashi parried and swiped Toshiro away again and again, not losing a single step of ground under the constant assault. Upping the pace, Toshiro boosted his speed and flash stepped right before Arashi, his hands becoming a blur as his two-handed grip made the air sing with the frantic swipes. All too quickly, Arashi chuckled and swung out his arm, batting away Hyōrinmaru with his free hand easily and returning it to slap Toshiro's shoulder. The strike sent Toshiro reeling and tumbling messily into the dust once again as Arashi laughed loudly.

"Are you sure you're playing, Shiro? The game's no fun without any competition!" Toshiro hated the fact that Arashi knew jus how to annoy him, but he appreciated it, in a way; they would be fighting for their lives before too long, Toshiro needed to be pushed to his limit. He roared, letting the fight take over his spirit as the laugh mocked him even more. He seized the chain and crescent moon that hung from Hyōrinmaru's hilt and spun it above his head until it was nothing more than a blur. He loosed it and watched it sail to the still laughing Arashi, who was too distracted to notice the metal. The blade secured around his neck and the deadly ice suddenly encased his entire body. Toshiro panted and waited for Arashi to break free, but nothing happened. Toshiro loosened his stance, wondering if their sparring was over, but no cracks appeared in the ice. Arashi made no effort was to free himself; he just stood there in his cold tomb, still clutching his stomach. Toshiro slowly approached the statue and started to worry. Surely his power hadn't grown to the point where he had exceeded Arashi's? That was impossible! Maybe he had gotten weaker in Hueco Mundo and all that talk was just bravado? Toshiro crouched before the statue and looked up into the bowed head and hood. The light refracted through the ice and lit up the face that was still tensed in joy, the dark eyes staring unseeingly at the floor. Toshiro started to panic and was about to call out, but a tiny crack appeared in the ice. Arashi's eyes slowly started to move and the ice turned to powder as they swivelled to look Toshiro dead in the eye. Toshiro was only just able to dive away from the swipe of Raisō, which only just missed taking his foot off. He tried to put more space between himself and his opponent, by his sword dragged him back. He turned back to Arashi, who had freed his head and right arm, which held tightly onto the crescent blade. He pulled hard, dragging Toshiro through the air and straight for his open hand.

"I'm restrained! Adapt and attack!" Arashi bellowed, ready to receive the blade. Heeding his advice, Toshiro didn't try to slow himself down, instead using the momentum to gain greater speed. He summoned Hyōrinmaru once more and the dragon materialised flying even faster than its master. Toshiro quickly slowed himself to a stop and watched as the dragon soared to his opponent. Toshiro thought that he'd impressed Arashi when the dragon made an explosive contact, surely calling the spar to an end. But as the dust and dry ice cleared, Arashi wasn't there, just the base of his icy prison sticking to the floor amidst powdered snow. He suddenly bended to a sharp pain in his shoulder and hurtled towards the grounds, crashing into the rock hard with Arashi floating high above him.

"Good power, Shiro, and a nice adaption to the situation, but don't be content with the attack you have given and never assume that your opponent is finished! If you were paying attention, you may have noticed me get out of the ice and stand above you for, oh I don't know, about five whole seconds?" Arashi had flown high into the air and watched Toshiro peer into the cloud of ice, oblivious to his presence. Toshiro was here to learn, so he had to punish mistakes to teach his pupil never to make them again. Arashi had lowered his spiritual pressure and energy immensely and flown down with all of his newly lowered strength, before smashing his heel into his friend's shoulder and launching him into the ground. Toshiro groaned on the ground and clutched his arm, which made his head pound. But he wouldn't give up. He was not so weak that he would-

"And this," explained Arashi, placing Raisō's jagged edge beneath Toshiro's neck and gently standing on his back, "Makes check-mate." Toshiro tapped out without a word and panted in exertion as Arashi helped him up. This wasn't going to be pleasant. A flicker of black from up ahead caught Toshiro's eye and he could tell from afar the well-practised flash step of Yuroichi.

"Rai! Kisuke told me what happened, are you alright?" Toshiro couldn't believe his eyes; the great Yuroichi Shihōin, genuinely concerned? He knew that they were friends, but this was incredible. She patted him down and closely examined his eyes, searching for an injury.

"Oh, you know, just had a cosy catch-up with Bee. She still doesn't like me, does she?" Yuroichi frowned on his lax attitude at the situation much like Rukia had done, but she was plagued by another thought; it was a given that she had allied herself with Arashi in this fight, but would that mean her turning on Soifon again? She would have to go the society, try and talk to her, try to make her-

"Oh, and Yuroichi?" Arashi cut he train of thought off as he shifted Toshiro's arm around his shoulders, "I was wondering; if you're going to the Soul Society, could you drop off a few messages for me?" he pleaded, bringing out the puppy eyes that reminded Yuroichi of the boy's younger, happier days.

"Fine, as long as I'm not delivering death threats." Arashi laughed softly,

"Shunshin! You think I'd be so blunt?" he cleared his throat and said in a secretive voice, "Actually, they're for Wine, Flower, Sting and Wiseman." Arashi gently set Toshiro down and reached inside of his kimono, producing a quill, which was topped with a beautiful azure feather, ink bottle and several small slips of paper. He quickly scribbled down the messages, carefully shielding Toshiro's view. He didn't seem to mind Yuroichi peeking when her shadow fell over his shoulder, but the sincerity of the notes surprised her. He finalised them and smiled as he handed the four notes to her and picked up Toshiro again as if nothing had happened. Yuroichi suddenly realised Arashi's intent and could only applauded him for his honour and sense of good. He certainly had his priorities in order. As she gave him a quick hug and told him not to try anything stupid, not realising that she nearly suffocated the two blushing boys in her cleavage. She disappeared just as Urahara appeared by before them, head bowed.

"Oh, hey Kisuke, is dinner ready?" He didn't reply. "Alright then... We're late? Were you waiting for us this whole time?" Nothing. "We've just been sparring, but I kinda got a little rough, so could you just tell Tessai that we might need a little help?" Silence. Arashi shook his head and let his hood fall as Len gripped his shoulder tightly.

"Careful, young one; he's up to something." Arashi thought it was odd that Toshiro didn't respond to the skeleton that was standing beside him, but Len's words also reached him too. What _was_ wrong with Urahara?

"Benihime." he mumbled quietly, barely loud enough for Arashi to hear. Toshiro could feel something wasn't right; this was not the normal Urahara. Something was wrong with Urahara. Arashi leaned forward and turned his head in hopes of catching what Urahara had said. Instead, Kisuke took the blindness as an opportunity and aimed his cane at the now exposed neck.

"I beg your-"

"SCREECH!"

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, in the Soul Society<em>

Soifon was a blur to any Soul Reaper who managed to catch a glimpse of her. She was furious with herself; that snot-nosed little freak had beaten her and humiliated her, and when she was so close to finally killing him too! And now Hitsugaya had wandered off to help him and Urahara was already well on his side. They'd be invading any day now. As she arrived outside of the captain's hall, she grabbed her kimono from Ōmaeda and composed herself before striding in. All of the captain's were waiting, including a heavily-bandaged and still enraged Kenpachi.

"Captain Sui-Feng, what news do you have?" asked Yamamoto, eager for good news.

"Sir, we have been betrayed." she announced loudly, bringing gasps from several captains. "As I was about to execute Arashi, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya stepped in and defended him. I was unable to land a killing blow and he has recovered his zanbakto." Yamamoto was silent for a long while, tossing around endless thoughts in his head. So Hitsugaya was the thief! That was one hell of a bluff. Yamamoto scorned himself for not doing something earlier; he knew from the moment the ex-captain resurfaced that Hitsugaya would seek to aid him. It seemed that their friendship was a strong one indeed.

"All captains, this order is to take effect immediately; prepare for immediate war. We have the traitor captains approaching from one side and Sōsuke Aizen and the Hōgyoku from the other. Intensive training is start tomorrow morning, including the captains. We must be prepared for an instantaneous assault! Dismissed." he ended grumpily. Now that Soifon had let Arashi slip through her fingers, Yamamoto would have to spread the Soul Reaper forces thin to keep a watch on where an assault could be staged from, and with two powerful foes advancing, spreading themselves thin was the worst possible idea. If only Tsugaho and Mabushi were still here, they might have been able to resolve the problem. All the Society needed were a few more capable men to reinforce the drastically diminished captains, then they would stand a chance.

As the meeting came to a close, the captains dispersed and headed through the moonlight and to their barracks. Ukitake and Kyoraku walked in silence, stopping on the silent bridge that overlooked the Seireitei.

"You know, Jushiro," began Kyoraku glumly, removing his hat and stirring his fingers through his hair, "Lil' Arashi's gonna be all set for an attack pretty soon, now that he's got Hitsugaya with him." Ukitake nodded, not wanting to contemplate what Kyoraku was going to say next. "I'm sure you can guess that he's not gonna waste time with any of the squads, meaning that he's gonna head straight for Old Man Yama. That means that we're gonna have to be the ones to meet him." Ukitake nodded again, trying to stop feeling so sick at the thought of that care-free smile that meandered around the Society, dodging that hound of a lieutenant.

"He's sacrificed so much for us, but sadly that doesn't change anything. And no doubt Hitsugaya will stick with him until..." Ukitake thought out loud, an uncomfortable silence descending from the stars.

"Hey, Jushiro? Can you honestly say that you're ready to fight and kill those two boys?" Ukitake shook his head forlornly. "Good. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one."


	13. Chapter 13

The skin didn't stand a chance beneath Benihime's attack. It split and the blood began to flow to the open wound, the splinters from the shattered cane raining onto Arashi's skin. Toshiro leaped away as a natural reaction as Arashi's body recoiled away from the searing hot wave. Arashi's hand rushed to his throat and felt the blood.

"Ow! Damnit, Kisuke, chump move!" Arashi checked the speck of blood that managed to accumulate from the paper-cut deep mark on his neck. "It's no fun if you don't play by the rules!" He scowled slightly and bent down to check if Toshiro had been hit. "And you could've hit Toshiro! You really don't play for fun anymore, do you?" Urahara's jaw hung. He hit him. In the throat. At nearly point-blank range. And had done nothing.

"How... did you..."

"Give me two minutes, Kisuke." Arashi smiled and heaved Toshiro back up to his feet. "If you still wanna scrap, wait for me here whilst Tessai checks over Toshiro." With a strong flash step, Arashi lifted them both off the ground and catapulted them across the jagged rocks like a pair of flees. Once they were out of sight, Urahara grabbed his hat and threw it on the ground, stomping it flat.

"Shit! What the hell is wrong with me? Why didn't that work? I-" He looked down to the crushed, dusty hat lying on the flat rock and had an idea. He looked around and spotted a large block of stone in the distance, a plateau raised above all the others. They may have been shaky, but Arashi had given vague explanations of where he lived in Mundo over the past few days. It felt like a foul move, but this 'surprise attack' had gone on long enough. This was it. Urahara re-inflated his hat and left it on the ground, preparing Benihime for another strike.

Tessai slowly worked his surprisingly gentle fingers around Toshiro's bare shoulder, watching for the winces before moving onto his leg.

"Well, it's nothing too bad. Just some bruised muscle and a pulled hamstring." He looked up to Arashi, who was still guiltily hovering beside Toshiro. "Just leave him with me for an hour, I'll get him back on his feet. Um, Arashi, do you know where the boss is?" Tessai added as a side note when Arashi turned to leave.

"Actually, Kisuke's waiting for me back there. We were gonna have a scrap, so I better not keep him waiting." Tessai looked at him through the glasses with a straight face for a few moments. He nodded without a word and turned his attention to a frowning Toshiro. The friends shared an odd look, but didn't dare say anything before their hosts. Arashi shrugged and took off, thinking over the past hour. Urahara acts weird around him from the moment after Zaraki leaves, doesn't look at him or even speak to him, attacks him out of the blue and even Tessai acts weird. The hell was going on? Len mirrored his steps beside him, not making a sound whilst Arashi's boots gently crunched on the slanted spikes of rock.

"It seems you've taken up a very astute path of thinking, little one." he complimented, his bone smile encouraging the white-haired boy. "But now we must concentrate on the reason behind his behaviour. He seems to be trying to make us feel unwelcome and attacked us without warning. Suspicious, no?" Arashi groaned.

"Len, you're being cynical again. I thought I told you to knock that off? Besides, Kisuke's our host so you better not embarrass me, you got that?" Arashi could feel the glares on the side of his head; Len hated being told what to do and talked down to, but he never raised a hand to Arashi to challenge his authority.

"Fine, if you don't want my help, you ungrateful little swine, you'll get none." Len stopped and stayed behind as Arashi leaped onwards. Arashi wasn't worried; Len had been faithful to him and he'd helped him through a lot of tough times in Mundo. It was because of him that Arashi was still sane today, the reason he was able come back. Arashi couldn't understand the reason, but ever since he met Len, the skeleton from the world of Hollows seemed intent to help him in his vendetta. No, vendetta didn't do it justice; it was a cause. His just cause.

Arashi followed the path of familiar spiritual pressure until it started to grow thin. He reached the familiar ground that he and Toshiro had wrecked slightly and looked all around. Not a single glimpse of the green kimono anywhere. As he revolved on the spot, he saw a small blip of colour amongst the yellow rocks a little way off. He hopped to it like an excited bird and picked it up; it was Urahara's precious bucket hat.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the familiar material, expecting an answer. As he ran his hands over the white and green stripes, he felt a little tingle from the hat. Arashi furrowed his brow and continued to stroke the material and Urahara's spiritual pressure started to appear again. It trailed off in another direction. "Damn, Kisuke, teach me how to do that." he murmured, tossing the hat from hand to hand as the path that Urahara took lit up before him. He walked for a few minutes before realising that the hat was no longer showing him the path, the scent going cold as he reached a large, open and totally flat plain, only a cliff face before him.

"Wait a minute." Arashi slowly revolved on the spot, concentrating on his surroundings, "I've... been here before." The flat land that stretched on forever, the chunky plateau in the middle of nowhere, the emotionless cliff face inviting him in. A sudden thump of pressure from up ahead caught his attention. "Was that... Kisuke?" Len snuck up on him, finished with his sulking no doubt, and paced ahead of him slightly.

"This is more than a little suspicious, young one. Proceed with caution." Arashi nodded, half-concentrating on his friend's warning. There was something amiss here, something wrong with that cliff. Arashi's legs moved him without thought towards the mountain, or to better explain it, the hole in the centre. It was as if someone had painted a huge canvas full of the golden rocks and blue sky, then burned a hole in the centre. It felt familiar. It beckoned him. Before he realised what he was doing, Arashi found himself on the edge of the dark hole in the cliff, gazing into the darkness.

"Where... am I..." he whispered, looking into the darkness. Len gazed on too, braving the darkness. "Len, where are you going?" Arashi asked the skeleton weakly whist the darkness seemed to try and embrace him. Len walked on and Arashi simply followed, revolving his deep lavender eyes in the blackness.

_I made this. This is my domain, my kingdom. I am a king here, a god amongst men. My stride shall match my status; tall and proud. I could feel the trembling stone rumble beneath me, the very ground quaking as I walk my halls. Yes, I am a god. The God of Hueco Mundo._

Arashi gasped, the light catching him in the eye and dazzling him. He covered his eyes and backed away from the thin horizontal beam of white light that had attacked him. As he surveyed the pitch-black surroundings, he found more of the slits, all illuminating a large, spacious room. Arashi started to panic as a strange stone throne caught his eye; he didn't know how he got here nor where 'here' was at all. But Len was with him. He could feel it. His hands started to shake and he hugged himself tightly, the cold air creeping down his back. The skeleton silently passed by him and guided him to the stone throne, inviting him into it without a word as his bones glowed in the shafts of light.

"No place like home." he mumbled, removing his head and placing it on a stone plinth right beside the throne. Arashi sat on the hard rock, raised his hood and hugged his trembling knees into his chest,

"Where are we, Len? What is this place?"

"That is not important, little one, though don't you remember your own home? This is the place we shared. You're safe here." Arashi nodded, trying to see through the darkness that suddenly seemed less scary than before. It welcomed him, protected him. He turned his head back to the slits high up the wall and stared for as long as he could, but he could see nothing but white.

"I- I can't see the sky, Len. I'm- I'm scared." The body of the skeleton returned by Arashi's side, returned the hide to the spinal column and kneeled beside the frightened boy.

"I know, little one, I know. But remember those bright, harsh lights and remember the sky. They took it from you. They took your sky from you without remorse or mercy. They took it all from you, and now you sit here, in this darkness. They upset Rukia and took her away from you whilst satisfying their own desires. They have won and Rukia is alone, just as frightened as you are now. Are you going to let them win? Or are you going to sit here in the dark? Make your choice, little one."

"But Len... I can't do it on my own!" Tears started to stream down Arashi's face, "Shunshin and Kisuke said they get me out! They said they wouldn't leave me! They won't break their promise, not if I'm on my own!" Arashi assured himself, waiting, praying that someone, anyone, would appear from the darkness and save him. He jumped and gawked at a sound that he hadn't heard in... thirty seven years. Or was it thirty eight now? It didn't matter; they had found him, his friends had finally come for him! He jumped to his feet and peered into the darkness, watching his huge door slowly swing open.

_Urahara's POV!_

Urahara listened intently outside of the throne room, still clutching Benihime. It hadn't taken a lot of strength to cut out a rough replica of Arashi's 'home' from Hueco Mundo and it was working better than he had expected. He should have been drawn to it, but the poor kid was totally in a world of his own. Urahara peeked through the gap between the huge stone door and watched as Arashi stared around in wonder, looking lost.

"No place like home." he muttered to himself as he sat on his throne, looking like a happy cat before his eyes widened and he curled into a ball.

"Where are we, Len? What is this place?" As Arashi searched the room further, a grizzly smile lit on his face, only visible from the shaft of light that made his pale skin glow.

"That is not important, little one, though don't you remember your own home?" Back and forth he went, asking questions to the air before answering them himself. But it was only when he said the words 'Shunshin and Kisuke' did Urahara feel a tug at his heart.

"Christ Rai," he whispered through the stone as Arashi rocked back and forth, assuring himself that he would be helped, "What did Mundo do to you?" Urahara was at his breaking point; he couldn't bear to see Arashi, who was once so full of life, reduced to this pitiful mess. Urahara adjusted his grip on the anxious Benihime and pushed the door open, taking a deep breath.

_Arashi's POV!_

"Shunshin! Kisuke! You kept your promise!" Arashi waited with his heart pounding, the door opening painfully slowly. As the light shone sideways from the entrance hall, the figure in the doorway stared at him. It wasn't his Shunshin. It wasn't Kisuke. It wasn't his Ru-chan or Shiro. It was a man. A strange man. A very pale man. A crying man with only half a helmet covering his jet-black hair.

"Who are you?" Arashi screamed, his hand jumping for his sword. The melancholy face spelled out words that Arashi couldn't hear, but he didn't need to hear the man to know that he was bad. He brought up his sword and pointed it directly at Arashi, ready to attack. Len ran to Arashi's side,

"Don't back down! We've done this before! Remember what you must do! Do it for everything you love!" he bellowed to Arashi, who let every one of his bad emotions well up within him and stain his core. He would not die. He would wait for his friends. The crying man said something else, but Arashi couldn't hear him. All he could hear was the roar of blood in his ears and Len's faithful words in his head. He flicked up his hood and reached his right hand over his back and drew his sword in a graceful arc, the light making the blade shine.

"Raze The Heavens, Raisō!" Raisō screeched as he burst into life, his energy steeling his shaking master. The man with half a helmet seemed to take a step back, but readied himself nonetheless. Arashi could tell what was going on in his head; he was scared. Arashi was strong and he was scared. Just like the rest of them. If they were scared, it was because they could see his strength, the strength that was given to him to protect his sister. And once they were scared, they would die. Arashi tightened his grip and felt the same feeling he got when he killed the letch of an old man. He felt like laughing, like the whole situation was hilarious. And in a way, it truly was; this man with the tears on his face was just like the rest of them. They were dogs who yapped loudly all day and night about who was the toughest, but once Arashi started getting angry, they started to whimper.

But they were all bad people, all of them had to die. The man swept his sword and a wave of red light screamed towards Arashi, who didn't move a muscle. He could feel the euphoria and adrenaline flowing through his muscles as he started to laugh. The wave would have torn most in half, it would have scratched Arashi normally if he hadn't have been paying attention but now, now it just broke like a cheap doll before it had got close to him. The man with the crying face backed away and fired another wave, achieving nothing.

Arashi just laughed even more as Raisō sung to him, tempting him onwards. The man stopped his cowering and swung his arms with impressive speed, each swipe from the air creating another wave that nearly deafened Arashi to hear, but he didn't really care. The Soul Reaper laughed with pity; these waves were so slow. Arashi wasn't sure how that awful Hollow had found him, and he was sure he had seen him somewhere before, but he was sure that he would make the Hollow feel fear like he had never known. He braced his feet firmly in his boots, the rocks below him exploding into the air as his flash step turned him into less than a blur. His cloak didn't even flutter as whatever remained of the red streaks whistled over them. With the wind still blowing through his hair, Arashi halted before the half-masked man, who still stared right over his head. His spiritual energy was clearly weak, judging by how long it took him to look down at the boy who had appeared before him. Out of total shock, his eyes flew open and he leaped backwards. The blast of sound that was too slow to follow him made the man flinch, but he didn't even know the start of it.

Using only his left hand, Arashi made him leap and jump to avoid his lazy, slow swings, forcing him towards the cold, dark sky of Hueco Mundo. He tried to shout something but Arashi couldn't hear him over his own laughter.

"Bo-oring!" he cried as he gave the man's chest a gentle kick, sending him flying into a stone pillar. Arashi chuckled at the groaning, collapsing rock. Now that awful man was starting to realise his mistake. Arashi would never harm a fly, but this man brought it upon himself. He gently dropped from the edge of his front door and, even from a distance, Arashi could see his strange white robes thrashing as he shifted the rubble from him, sending those pathetic little red waves carelessly into the air to cut away the stone.

"Help him, little one." Len crooned, watching the man shakily stand, "He seems to be struggling a little there." Arashi nodded his agreement, rolling the sword in his hands so the fin blades faced the tear-streaked face that had turned to them in horror.

"Hikkakeru Tsubasa!"

_Urahara's POV!_

Arashi's slight form smashed through Benihime's attacks as if they were gusts of wind, appearing before Urahara without a sound before the crash of rock and the rustle of movement caught up with his ridiculous speed. He laughed as Urahara leaped back, forced into a panicked retreat against the mass of lightning-quick attacks that Arashi threw with his left handed grip. Without breaking pace, he planted his boot in Urahara's diaphragm and launched him. Urahara ploughed into a large rock and lost all of his breath, fall spread eagled into the dirt as the weakened column started to fall.

"Screech!" he wheezed with whatever he had left in his lungs, slicing the stone in half and rolling into the opening. He bounced on the hard floor as the two slabs connected with the floor and choked on the dust. Standing on shaky legs, Urahara gasped for air as he slowly pulled himself out from between the rocks. As he vision spun and began to refocus, a flash from the base of the cliff caught his eye. Even dazed and winded, Urahara could see the glint both from bare zanbakto and shrouded eyes as the glowing teeth turned to him. He didn't have the strength, speed nor time to deflect that attack.

"Damnit, Arashi, really?" he wheezed as the bright lights soared through the air to him, "Ensnaring Wings? Dick move."

_Arashi's POV!_

Raisō rumbled slightly in Arashi's hands as the fins glowed brighter than the blade itself. They slid along the blade and launched into the air, soaring into the sky and twirling graceful, giving a triumphant screech as they danced in the air. Arashi laughed as the dozen fins turned back to him and swept by his side, ruffling his hair and swooping back to the sky.

"Knock it off, Raisō, our guest is waiting!" he called to the metallic birds. He brought his arm into the air and swept it down, pointing to the man. The fins responded and cried as they grinded together, forming a column and swooping with a well-practised precision. The man with the painted tears tried to swing his sword and send his puny waves to deflect the flying metal, but Raisō simply divided and sailed around the wave, gaining ground quickly. He broke formation and suddenly curved around the man's back, beginning their circles. With lightning speed, the blades began to fan out and created a deadly orbit around the man, slicing trenches into the ground and sailing through them as if they had been born for their course.

"What- What is this?" the man said in a dull tone, his emotionless eyes widening as the blades made the air whistle with their speed. He reached out a tried to touch one of the constant streaks of white-blue light.

"I wouldn't touch that, if I were you." Arashi warned, but the man didn't seem to care for it. As he touched one of the solid bands of light, his skin was ripped open and he recoiled, careful not to back into the streaks behind him. Arashi sighed and shook his head,

"What's the point of asking a question if you're not going to listen to the answer?" He shook his head in a parental way, chuckling at the stupidity of his elder. Len approached the shimmering web of light and power that surrounded the glaring man and leaned closer to peer mockingly.

"What the little fellow was trying to warn you about was the fact that, though it may appear that the blades have extended to form rings around you, they are actually the same size and shape, simply travelling quicker than you realise. Imagine that you're in a cage of barbed wire; just don't touch the sides!" Len laughed at the helpless prisoner, who swung his blade at the bands. He was thrown back on contact, glaring still at Arashi.

"Well, now that you've calmed down a little bit, how about you tell me your name?" The man with the black upper lip stared at him through those empty eyes for a long few moments before answering.

"I am Ulquiorra Cifer, Espada cuatro." he replied shortly, his lip pursing at being forced into speech. Arashi pulled his hood down and smiled, giving a deep bow.

"And I am Raiden Arashi, a pleasure to meet you. So, Mr. Ulquiorra, why did you pick fight with me?" Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at the gently flowing cape behind the boy.

"What a ridiculous question. I am here to kill you on account of the fact that you do not belong here. You're a Soul Reaper, and a captain at that. This is Hueco Mundo, not the Soul Society." Arashi folded his cape beneath him as he kneeled, using it as a cushion as he sat on the ground.

"We have some things to talk about, Mr. Ulquiorra, please take a seat." The man's eyes twitched slightly at the offer. Arashi cocked his head and raised his hand.

"Si-i-i-t... do-o-o-wn." he repeated slowly, lowering his hand. Ulquiorra's eyes flashed to the top of the deadly sphere that encased him. The top started to lower down onto him, forcing him to accept the offer and sit awkwardly.

"Excellent!" Arashi congratulated, "Now, onto other matters. Ulquiorra, I'm not actually with the Society anymore, quite the opposite in fact. I'm not on good terms with that bureaucratic, backstabbing filth anymore. See where I'm coming from?" He gave Ulquiorra a hopeful smile. "I'm not the enemy so there's no need for us to fight!" Ulquiorra didn't respond. He worked his mouth slowly, formulating words that he never voiced. Arashi gave him an inquisitive, piercing, yet hopeful look. He held out his single-sided zanbakto and the blades gave a cry as they broke formation around Ulquiorra, soared into the air and slid back onto the blade, letting the air calm.

"Now, can we please get along? Come on, Cifer, you can see the difference in our power, do you really want to attack-"

"Cero." Ulquiorra slammed his blade into the ground and the red beams dived for Arashi.

_Urahara's POV!_

On and on Arashi talked to himself as Urahara tensed and flinched at the blades that threatened to cut him to ribbons at the slightest movement. There was no use moving, Arashi was committed to the fight and had let the fight take his soul. He was too powerful to escape now, but that didn't mean that Urahara couldn't still surprise him.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you." Arashi warned Urahara, flinching as he watched Urahara do precisely nothing. Urahara started to talk about times they had shared in the past, but Arashi just shook his head. "What's the point of asking a question if you're not going to listen to the answer?" he asked with a smile. Urahara realised that no matter how he moved, no matter what he said, Arashi was only seeing what he had seen before, fighting a fight that had long since passed. As Arashi's voice flicked back and forth, the grisly smile explaining the Hikkakeru Tsubasa technique, Urahara realised something; Len. That was what Arashi kept calling himself. What was this... thing that Arashi talked to?

"What is it, Arashi?" Urahara asked the still talking Arashi. The young boy had the tendency to talk when he used the Hikkakeru Tsubasa, so Urahara was fairly confident that he'd be able to sit in peace whilst the boy followed his memories.

"...with that bureaucratic, backstabbing filth anymore." Arashi smiled at Urahara, who gawked at the words. Of course. It was so obvious. Arashi _smiled_ whilst _Len_ spoke with a snarl. How could it have been anything else? Whenever Arashi began to discuss with Len, like back at the shop, he always talked of the darkest things. _That's_ what Len was; he was the aggression and rage that Arashi so desperately wanted to leave behind, his desire for revenge, his insecurities and all of his insanity. It must have all piled up within him until something pushed him over the edge and broke him, triggering him to create the persona know as 'Len.'

Urahara jumped as his grip of reality returned and the deadly spherical cage retreated back to the sword, Arashi smiling at him.

"Now, can we please get along? Come on, Cifer, you can see the difference in our power, do you really want to attack-"

"Shibari, Benihime." Urahara smashed his blade into the yellow stone, Benihime's black-red bands snaking across the floor and ensnaring Arashi in their grasp. He yelped in surprise at the ambush and thrashed on the floor, his arms forced to his side and blade scratching at the floor. Urahara began to raise his spiritual pressure, preparing his final strike, but was distracted by Arashi squirming to his feet. Without a word, the boy began to rotate on the spot, faster and faster until he was a blur of white, but Benihime's restraints didn't yield. Even with the rotating restraints, Benihime still snaked a single ribbon back to her master, reading his thoughts for the final bow of Arashi. Urahara pinned the ribbon with his blade and cried,

"Hiasobi Juzutsunagi!" Benihime's ribbons sprouted the strange pulsating black orbs and covered the netting around Arashi's spinning form. The oily balls wobbled at their master's will and exploded, sending great plumes of fire high into the air. Urahara stood amongst the heat, unaffected by the roaring inferno only several yards away from him. As the fierce flames began to dissipate, Urahara spotted the first glimpses of white amongst the charred and blackened ground. He would not shy away from this, it was his duty to dispose of... It took Urahara less than three seconds to realise his mistake, but the pain took even less than that. The cape lay on the ground without an owner, the hood dipping into what was clearly a roughly cut burrow that was gently smoking. The ground before Urahara's feet exploded and time seemed to slow as the deep lavender eyes met the dull grey.

Arashi's fist slammed into Urahara's chin and the boy lifted the dazed man easily into the air, laughing manically at the grazes that Benihime managed to make on his bare arms. With a single slice, Raisō's vicious serrated edge tore through the muscle beneath Urahara's sword arm, making him cry out and his arm go limp. Arashi heaved Urahara above his head and ploughed him into the ceiling, knocking the wind out of Urahara's body, but Arashi wasn't finished. He let Urahara drop a few feet, scrambled onto his back and aimed his fist carefully, slamming it to the centre of Urahara's spine and sending him ridged. As they fell through the air, Arashi rolled the man to let him see the point of the jagged blade that would stab through his heart the moment his body moved slower than Raisō. That was it. Arashi had locked his muscles with a single punch, thrown him around like a ragdoll and humiliatingly escaped one of his most powerful techniques, and now he had a blade to his heart and death approaching him by the second.

_Meanwhile, in the Soul Society_

Ukitake slowly moved the brush across the paper, the watered powder marking the white page perfectly. The man smiled with satisfaction at the perfectly smooth and curved stroke, the first of many that would form his kanji character. He leaned away from the paper to re-ink his brush and found not a block of graphite or water jug, but a small note in their place. Looking around the room and seeing no one, Ukitake suspected that his 3rd seats were asking something embarrassingly personal from afar again, but his heart sunk a little when he turned the small white paper and found the word 'Wiseman' written in a slanted, curved writing. There was only one person in all of the worlds that would ever refer to him by that nickname, and a long-time associate of said person was the only one with the speed and stealth to infiltrate a room and deliver the message. Double-checking that no one else was around, Ukitake opened the note and found the few words that were written.

'10:30pm, EF courtyard, come alone' That was all. There was no explanation, but Ukitake knew that none was needed. The message was clear as if the parchment was a mile long. He'd be there, he had to.

_Eight hours later_

Yuroichi wandered into the deserted courtyard, listening to the gently crashing boughs of the trees that ran the outskirts of the stone-flagged area in the soft moonlight and gentle wind. She always liked this place, but the moonlight made the bare trees look depressing, almost spectral. But the low-lying buildings behind her gave her a homely feel, despite the doors hanging of the hinges and the corners being filled with cobwebs. It was a strange combination of settings, and despite all of the sights that usually made her smile, she felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. This used to be a happy place, vibrant and full of laughter back in the spring. But she couldn't get stuck in that rut of thoughts. That was the past and this was the present, she had to concentrate now.

A familiar trace of spiritual pressure quickly made its way to Yuroichi, who laughed; how like her to react so eagerly to two stimuli. The captain of the Stealth Force appeared on the low roof of the cluster of buildings behind Yuroichi, rushing out to meet her with the letter in hand.

"Lady Yuroichi!" she gasped, bowing without breath, "I got your message. What was it you wished to-"

"Actually, Soifon, it wasn't me who wanted to talk to you." she interrupted, turning to the frowning captain. "You're early, the meeting's not prepared yet. Come on, let's grab a seat." With her reminiscing interrupted, Yuroichi led the way to the first building that opened up to the courtyard. She slid the barely functioning door aside and entered the room. It was eerie to see the dust unsettle and drift into the air, blocking the silver light that filtered through the filthy windows. As they walked in silence, Yuroichi eyed the first room with fondness; it was supposed to be a meeting room, but the then-captain had several circular tables scattered around the room with a few chintz cushions around each. Yuroichi picked a couple up and dusted them off, carrying them outside. The wind picked up at their approach as they set their new seats on the wooden porch, the cold nipping at their cheeks.

"Do you remember what this place was like back in its day, Soifon?" Yuroichi asked as the wind made the open door rattle behind them. Soifon looked around with distaste.

"I do, but I never really appreciated it. Didn't have the time." she finished prudely, curling her lip at the chintz. Yuroichi looked at her with a small smile.

"Is that real the reason or was it something else?" Her bluff called, Soifon gawped for a second before pouting and turning away so her old mentor didn't see the blush. The gentle clapping of sandals on solid ground ascended up the stairs to the hall behind Yuroichi and Soifon, accompanied by the sliding of a door.

"Oh, Captain Kuchiki, you were contacted too?" a relaxed voice asked.

"Yes, I received the request this afternoon." the nobleman replied shortly, getting closer to the two women. As three pairs of footsteps approached, Yuroichi checked the time. Only a few minutes to spare, but time to spare no less.

"Yuroichi, I take it you're here as a liaison for this meeting?" asked Ukitake, scanning the courtyard with his keen eyes. Yuroichi stood and stretched, walking out before the captains and facing them all. Ukitake, Kyoraku, Soifon and Kuchiki. All had headed the call.

"As you may have guessed by the names on your invitations, I'm not the one who invited you here. Saying that, I think it's needless to mention that our mutual friend has selected you very decisively. Now, the captain-"

"_Ex_-captain." Soifon quickly corrected her, her look turning sour as the truth behind the name on the note dawned on her.

"Yes, thank you, Soifon. Anyway, I arranged for a small Senkaimon to open in about thirty seconds for the purpose of this meeting, so we'll have to make sure this is brief. We'll be with him in a moment." She started to walk away back to the hall, Soifon grabbing her arm.

"Lady Yuroichi, where are-"

"I'm not invited." she interrupted without turning, a serious manner to her voice. "What's going to be said should be for your ears only. What is said here is none of my business." With that, she just walked away and took to the rooftops, watching the long staircase that led up to the cluster of buildings. Soifon sulked and looked to her fellow captains, who looked surprisingly calm despite the odd situation. Kyoraku reached inside of his kimono and laughed at the note in his hands.

"'Wine.'" he read aloud, "The kid knows me too well." He didn't try and shirk off the title, instead taking at seat and pulling his pink kimono around him. Ukitake looked to the stony-faced Kuchiki, who stood in silent indifference.

"Well, I received the name 'Wiseman.' I never could work out why he liked me so much, but I think I'll take that over 'Wine.' What did you receive, Kuchiki?" Without looking at the white-haired man, Byakuya reached inside of his sleeve and pulled out the note, holding it out to Ukitake.

"I taught Arashi about respect and honour and you came up a lot in these discussions, though his reasons for most of his attachment to you in his early years as a Soul Reaper were... questionable. They mainly revolved around your shared hair colour." Ukitake laughed softly at the boy's motives and his not-so-subtle way of naming his mentor 'Flower,' obviously for his zanbakto's petal-like blades. Just before them, the air started to glow and shimmer, the traditional doors of a Senkaimon materialising before them, opening a small doorway into the human world. The four captains were drawn to it, gazing through the tiny window into a vast expanse of blue sky and golden rock. They began to grow concerned as they realised that the Senkaimon was high in the air with no one on the other side.

Suddenly, a blur of colour flashed past them. A blur of black, a flash of glowing white, a spray of red and a cry of pain was all it took for the four captains to dive through and enter the human world, searching for what they had seen.

"There!" Ukitake pointed to the black and green swirl that was spiralling into the air. They were forced to dodge as the two figures suddenly met the sky and cracked it, causing great pieces of painted rock to rain down onto them.

"That's the little freak's spiritual pressure!" shouted Soifon, drawing her zanbakto instantly, but the rest stayed their hands.

"But that's Kisuke Urahara's up there with him! Captain Soifon, what's going on? I thought they were working together?" she didn't have an answer, but she did have a bloodlust. The two figures tussled in the air before falling back down, the black smudge astride the green blur. The captains rushed up to meet and them and matched the speed of its descent. Kyoraku's eyes widened when he inevitably saw the small traitor balancing the tip of his zanbakto's on his most trusted friend's chest, waiting for Urahara to resist and sentence himself to death.

"You're mine now!" Soifon barrelled into Arashi, who's insane eyes instantly switched to her. Abandoning the still falling Urahara, Arashi's eyes clouded in confusion as he stopped the swing of Soifon's zanbakto with his bare hand, staring at the small woman with awe.

"What in all the worlds are you?" he asked with an excited snarl, throwing out Soifon's arm and kneeing her in the ribs, sending her winded form spiralling away. Kyoraku caught her before she hit the floor and gazed up, but the small boy didn't follow. He simply stared.

"Oh, there's more of you. Strange things, aren't you?" he cocked his head and didn't drop the snarl, waiting for Soifon to make another move.

"Arashi, we got your message! What are you doing?" Ukitake cried, approaching the boy without drawing his blade and his palms out flat. Arashi twirled and started to laugh, eyeing Kyoraku and Ukitake before turning back to Urahara, whom was being helped to his feet by Byakuya.

"Ulquiorra, are you finally going to make this game fun? These weird grey things that you've got trying to play 'Last Hit' with me are a little odd and that last one was a little too frail, but if it helps you play, I won't complain." He bared his teeth and laughed again, twirling Raisō in his left hand whilst eyeing Soifon. The Stealth Force captain struggled out of Kyoraku's arms and screamed at her fellow captains.

"There, did you see that? He attacked me! A traitor attacked a captain!" Kyoraku frowned up at the boy before turning back to Soifon with a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't you think the kid's acting a little odd, Soifon? From what you told us, he didn't seem to want to harm you and has attacked Urahara. Don't you think that this all a little odd?" Soifon paused and hesitated to pull away from Kyoraku, partly because of his words but partly because of the pressure that Arashi was emitting, almost as if to challenge her.

"Scatter." Soifon started a little as the plentiful flow of cherry blossom whispered into the air, flowing straight for the cape-less captain. "You have forgotten your honour, Arashi. Now die."


	14. Chapter 14

_Many years ago, in the heart of the Soul Society_

Arashi groaned and flexed his aching wrist as he slid yet another sheet aside and piled it neatly with the rest, taking another piece and inking his brush. Before starting the next character, he stretched out on his back and rolled his neck, making it pop uncomfortably. As he winced and whined, he tried to turn it the other way to fix it, rolling his head from side to side. He felt it popped and crack painfully, slowly observing the entire room, but his eyes landed on something that hurt him worse than his stiff neck; the sword that lay against the wall. Arashi's heart stopped on the dark scabbard that seemed to hold his gaze. He glared at the thing, wanting to continue his writing but unable to concentrate on anything but the sword that rested against the wall. As he gazed, his ears began to sting as the sound of a bird crying began and got louder the longer he looked, finally giving him the strength to look away. And just as well, too, as Byakuya strode through the door to check on him. The boy dropped the brush, stood and bowed deeply, just as Byakuya had taught him, but the man said nothing. Arashi's face tensed as his lip wavered, his aching back feeling like it was about to break whilst Byakuya slipped a few papers from the top of the pile and checked them thoroughly, analysing the curve of each stroke.

"Adequate. For now." he said lazily, dismissing Arashi from the bow. "But you form still isn't perfected; the tips of these curved strokes curls too much."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kuchiki." the boy replied dully, as if he had apologised a thousand times before.

"And some ofthese centre strokes are far too heavy, I can see where the brush has been spread thin."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kuchiki." he repeated in the same monotone. Every day for the past three weeks, Arashi slept in the Kuchiki manor house for his 'tuition.' He slept in the guest room, which many of the servants and maids had been surprised at. Arashi found the room to be spacious, which he used broadly, as the real fact of the matter was that the room was simply bare. It was contained a small table, a futon and a sliding door that led to the gardens. Arashi couldn't complain, though. This was the best accommodation he had ever had, but he longed for his sister. Every day he would finish his tuition and instantly sprint off for Hanging Dog, meeting his friends in the market as the locals that once spat at the sight of the plume of white hair now crept away from the blue-trimmed kimono.

"No matter. You will simply have to do it again tomorrow." Byakuya's eye twitched in irritation when the boy's shoulders sagged. "You have no one to blame but yourself for this. You will continue to write until it is perfect. But enough of that, it is time for you to learn the ways of the Soul Reapers in earnest." Arashi sighed again and begrudgingly looked over to the katana.

"But Mr. Kuchiki, I have that sword now, isn't that enough? I don't like it, it-"

"Whether you like or not is irrelevant." he interrupted with his calm tone, "You told me that you wanted to become a Soul Reaper in order to protect your sister. How do you expect to protect her if you cannot even hold your sword?" Arashi just remained in an almost guilty silence, eyeing the black scabbard that seemed to draw in the light of the room. "Come, bring your zanbakto." Arashi snarled a little as he took the string that had been looped around the scabbard, allowing him to carry the large weapon on one shoulder. He toddled after Byakuya and managed to keep pace with him. Even though he had to nearly jog to keep pace with Byakuya's stride, the small boy kept his back straight and walked with pride, probably to mask his height compared to his elder.

"Now, I have organised a sparring partner for you today." explained Byakuya as they marched out of the manor grounds and to the barracks, the Soul Reapers they passed bowing to them. "I'll be leaving you with him for an hour whilst he teaches you the basics of kendo. If by the time I have returned you have not mastered the basic poses, we will train into you free time."

"Yes, Mr. Kuchiki." he replied with confidence, focusing his eyes for a target; there was no way he'd let anything interrupt his precious few hours away from the manor house, even if that meant using the... 'his' sword.

"There he is now. 3rd seat, present." Arashi eyed the man that approached them from across the flat yard and had to spin on the spot to make sure there was no mistake. This man couldn't be a Soul Reaper, not with that uniform! If Arashi had dressed like that or let his hair grow that long, Kuchiki would scold him raw! But this man's pale blonde hair hung messily and split on his nose and framed his face, his smile easy as he bowed to the nobleman captain.

"Captain Kuchiki, is this your protégé?" the man smiled down to Arashi, who stood and gawked at the man.

"I trust you'll teach him well? Do not hesitate to inflict punishment if he misbehaves. He needs to learn." The blonde man raised an eyebrow,

"Sounds like you certainly know how you want to raise the boy. But all of this discipline and honour, he'll turn out to be an uptight nobleman if you're not careful." Kuchiki's lip curled a little, but he said nothing, turning on his heel and marching off. Arashi gawped still and craned his neck to check Byakuya's distance.

"You know, 3rd Seat," Arashi started confidently, just like he had been taught, "You should show the captain more respect." He was pouting slightly, as if he was trying to leer but hadn't quite got the hang of it.

"Did Kuchiki tell you to say that?" Arashi's eyebrows raised and he didn't reply, Urahara assuming that he was right. "Well, so be it. So, if you're gonna learn and master these first few poses, I guess we better get to it, so we'll start of by warming up. Do you know how to conduct your own warm ups?" Arashi processed the request a few times before scuffing the floor with his boot.

"Well, Mr. Byakuya just sets the ground's dogs on me and makes me outrun them, if that's what you mean." Urahara looked down at the small boy and surveyed him; he couldn't see any bite marks, but that didn't stop the ache of pity that he was feeling. What was it Kuchiki was saying? He'd lose his free time if he hadn't learned his steps? Kisuke could see what a rough time the kid had, he couldn't allow his laziness to deprive the kid of that.

"Alright, so first we're gonna see how you naturally react to being attacked with a sword. Now draw yours and get ready." Arashi sighed and took the hilt of his sword, drawing it across his chest. He unsheathed it about a third of the way before his arm span came to an end. He growled and sat down, holding the hilt and trying to kick the scabbard off, but the sword still didn't come free. He yelled in frustration, threw the half-drawn sword on the floor and glared and Urahara with his fists curled.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he warned, but the boy seemed set and was even giving off a little spiritual pressure, "You know, I'll be swinging with a real zanbakto, it's gonna hurt a lot if you get hit." His frustration getting the better of him, Arashi charged and swung his fist, aiming for Urahara's side. Being the 3rd Seat of the Stealth Force, Urahara quickly reacted and hopped away, but he couldn't help but notice the strong wind that blew his kimono in the wake of the swing. Damn, this kid's something else. He kept Urahara on the back foot, forcing him to sway and even duck out of the constant stumbling punches. Strangely, the kid was giving off more and more pressure with every swing rather than tiring and giving off less, so Urahara decided to experiment. If this kid was so adamant to use only hand-to-hand combat, Urahara would test just how strong his arm was.

As Arashi brought a right-hook for his hip, Urahara swung out his left elbow to meet it. The punch collided and sent a powerful shock up his arm, making him grunt and roll to absorb the rest of the blow. That might have broken a man's arm. By now Arashi was swinging faster, his steps becoming lunges and his fist catching the material of the kimono and ripping it viciously. He was getting stronger and faster the longer he fought, Urahara had to stop him before he got too ahead of himself. Hopping beside a punch, Urahara lay a warning cut along the boy's forearm. Not too deep, just enough for him to know that it was time to stop.

Arashi gave a tiny gasp and stopped dead in his tracks, looking at his exposed arm with shock. The blood accumulated and a drip slithered onto his white hand, dripping slowly onto his training kimono.

"Now, that was interesting, but now we gotta-" Urahara didn't expect the movement, was totally unable to track it and utterly defenceless against it. The boy's speed and strength spiked and the boy hurled himself around, a feral left flying into Urahara's side and forcing the wind from him. His centre of gravity was struck and Urahara was launched across the dirt training yard, tumbling hard in the dirt. Taking a harsh gasp of breath, Urahara flicked himself back to his feet, just in time to avoid the flash of white hair and the raised fist. Arashi, over-balanced by the pace of his charge, tripped and slammed his fist into the hard ground, causing the dirt to fracture and explode into the air and dust to cover him. Urahara waited with baited breath, sword raised, waiting for the boy who lingered in the dust to emerge. As Urahara sensed the spiritual energy not moving, Arashi's presence grew slowly as the sound of grinding metal slowly screeched.

"Do you hear it, 3rd seat? Can you hear him crying? ... I can. He cries because you hurt me, and now he wants to hurt you." Urahara watched as the dust began to settle, revealing a silhouette in the swirling dust. The small torso and legs cloaked in the kimono, both bare arms connected to a sword as long as the boy's body. "He... He hesitates, 3rd seat. He doesn't want to hurt you, but he wants to protect me, and because of that," The silhouette raised the sword and swept it down, the wind bursting and roaring beneath the swing, clearing the dust and revealing the boy. Arashi's hair was billowing under the gale and his dark eyes seemed to gleam, "The two of us will kill you!"

Arashi lunged and the battle raged on. He charged, sword grinding on the floor in his wake before leaping into the air, the upwards swipe throwing Urahara's guard aside, leaving him open. Arashi flew into the air, raised his sword and roared as he fell back to his target, bringing his blade down viciously. Urahara staggered and raised his sword, his knees buckling under the strike. What the hell was with this kid? On and on they fought, Arashi's constant wild vertical swings tiring Urahara, breaking and punishing his blocks and straining his arms lest he be sliced in half, but something was different than before; Arashi's spiritual pressure and energy were still growing, but they were more unstable, more wild. Urahara had to test this, because if the kid was only going to get stronger, Urahara wouldn't be able to beat him down and he'd get taken apart. Utilising his flashstep, Urahara backed a long way off, leaving Arashi's comet-like strike to slice a groove into the courtyard. The boy glared at the floor where his target should have been and cast a look around, his dark gleaming eyes landing on the distant figure of Urahara.

"Come on, pip squeak, what's wrong? Sword to heavy for ya?" Urahara called. The boy took the bait, dragging his sword from the ground and racing to meet Urahara head on. The man laughed a little to himself as he raised his hand, directing his palm at the boy.

"Bakudō Number 1, Sai." And just like that, the boy was on the ground. Urahara stood for a second and stared at the boy on the floor, expecting him to get back up after stumbling, but the boy's arms remained firmly behind his back, his knees anchored to the floor. "Hey, kid? You okay?" Arashi's body shook with the effort of looking up,

"What did you do to me? Let go of my arms!" How strange; that boy got angry and was constantly getting stronger and faster the longer he fought. His punches nearly broke Urahara's arm and even with zero training on how to use a sword, his slashes carried extreme force that easily broke a third seat's defence and his running speed redoubled repeatedly , making him extremely agile. So how did it make sense for the lowest grade of binding kidō to be able to instantly restrain him?

"Enough." a voice calmly demanded. Urahara, still panting, turned and quickly bowed to his captain, whom had suddenly appeared. The captain slowly walked over to the boy who bucked and thrashed on the floor, trying to unlock his muscles and wrench his arms from his back. The captain kneeled beside him, "Calm down, little guy, the fight's over!" Arashi bared his teeth and looked up, about to hiss an insult in his adrenaline-fuelled anger, but his jaw quickly dropped, along with his head.

"I'm sorry, Captain, I didn't realise it was you. Please don't make me write any more." Arashi muttered to his knees, sighing as his arms came loose from the invisible grip. The captain cocked her head,

"Why would I make you write? I was going to say well done on knocking my 3rd seat around for so long." Yuroichi laughed and tussled the boy's hair, bringing a blush and a baffled look to his face.

"Oh... Thank you, Captain. Um, we weren't really fighting, we were... playing?" he ended uncertainly; he had gotten angry and had to prove to Mr. Kuchiki that he could fight, so he was trying to cut off the man's head. But this _lady_ captain couldn't know that!

"What is the meaning of this?" Arashi jumped out of his skin and leapt to his feet with terror in his eyes, folding double with sword still in hand at the sudden appearance of Byakuya. "I thought I told you to learn from the third seat, yet you're not even holding your zanbakto properly."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kuchiki, I was just-"

"And you're addressing an upperclassmen and a captain with your weapon still drawn. Do you plan on attacking me?"

"But Mr. Kuchiki, I-"

"Have you learned nothing? Have all my efforts to teach you been in vain? Are you just an incompetent little brat or do you truly seek to bring dishonour to your peasant sister?" Byakuya waited for the apology with his chin held high, but nothing was said. The two captains and the officer looked down to the bowed boy, who started to tremble.

"Take that back." he whispered to the floor, going stiff.

"What did you just say to me? Do you realise who you're talking to-"

"TAKE IT BACK!" Arashi suddenly bellowed, gripping his sword and swinging it into Byakuya's face, the man recoiling against the sudden threat. The blade missed him by an inch, nearly slicing his jaw from his body.

"How... How dare you! I'll teach you some humility, you little swine!" Yuroichi and Urahara instantly jumped and started yelling at Byakuya, demanding that he stop, but the nobleman drew his sword regardless, trading stares with the seething boy. Urahara dodged around the pair and approached his captain, who stopped trying to call off the fight and listened to her officer. Urahara hurriedly explained the boy's exponential growth in power when in battle, finishing just as Byakuya made the first swing. He looked to make the boy fear him first, swinging and clashing with the boy's pathetic guard, knocking him from side to side like a doll.

Arashi grunted as his arms grew tired of the assault and he considered just surrendering, but he remembered what this man had said about his sister and felt strengthened. He felt his sword begin to hum and sing in his grip and a curious flow rushed through his hands, soothing his muscles and forcing them to jump. As the sword took control of Arashi's body and made its master dance, the two blades met solidly, Arashi performing a perfect block and stopping the pair in their tracks. As Byakuya's eyes widened in surprise, Arashi heard that strangely familiar screech in the depths of his mind and knew that he had to attack. He clutched the sword with both hands and stabbed forwards as hard as he could. Byakuya tried to retreat, the tip of the stabbing blade only just cutting into his torso. As Arashi was taken aback at his successful strike, Byakuya's lip curled and he raised the sword to his chest, preparing the boy for an execution.

High above, sitting comfortably in his chair, Yamamoto watched the one and only candidate of the Soul Society's survival successfully counter and attack a captain. Most interesting. Perhaps Kuchiki really had found the right person? Well, Yamamoto was feeling hopeful about the boy until Kuchiki released his zanbakto. Even from atop the balcony, Yamamoto could feel the boy's intimidation at the sudden bloom of pink petals. What would he do? Would he back down or try to fight a superior opponent?

"Head Captain, how should we proceed?" the lieutenant asked. Yamamoto considered the scene below, the rage of deadly blades against the Society's chance at victory. The old man sighed,

"We watch." he said simply.

Arashi flexed his shoulders, sweat dripping from his nose as the glaring man focused hard, the petals writhing like a Kraken behind him. The sword in Arashi's hand had known what to do, a power was running through him, he wielded the long blade as it were nothing and the strange voice willed him on, and yet he was still scared.

"What do I do?" he whimpered to the deep blue hilt. From the recesses of his mind, the bird called again. "I don't know what that means! Tell me, what do I do?" he cried, but the voice was silent. Arashi looked up and saw the petals beginning to tremble, eager to slice him apart. So what if that bird was getting on his nerves, he still felt strong, time seemed to be going slower still, why shouldn't he be able to kill this man? Taking a deep breath, Arashi threw his left shoulder forwards, hands on his right hip, tip of the blade touching the ground, and charged.

"It seems he's going to take his chances with the captain." the lieutenant commented with interested, leaning forwards to watch. Yamamoto's grip on the arm of his chair tightened and he hoped that Kuchiki would keep his composure. The little figure of white sprinted with shocking speed and leaped at the captain, blade ready to swipe up and cut him up the middle. Predictably, Kuchiki didn't even move a finger to command the petals to converge. The petals rose up and divided before combining into a funnel, rushing to meet the boy. Even from his seat high above, Yamamoto could see the two Stealth Force members wince as the pink engulfed the boy completely, the terrible, gentle rustle of leaves masking whatever noise he could be making. The seconds seemed like an eternity, Yamamoto lamenting each and every one of them. The boy had strange power, but this was ruthless.

Byakuya never saw it coming. Behind him, his zanbakto writhed and combined, rushing the snivelling little street rat that had attacked him. The petals engulfed the small form and Byakuya made last, wanting to hurt the child as much as he could without killing him. That's when the eyes appeared. It was easy to tell apart the vibrant, moving pink from the barely animate orbs of lilac. And following the dark eyes was the pale skin, glowing with fresh slashes of crimson. Next, the screaming mouth, open and bellowing a war cry that pounded into the captain's skull. Inevitably followed the slashed, tattered kimono, already stained in red, and finally the shining blade. In the fraction of a second he had to think about it, Byakuya labelled the figure a metre away from him; rage. As if the spirit of Kenpachi had been infused in this child. The boy twisted and his blade swung up from below, carving a cut all the way from Byakuya's left hip and grazing into his right collar bone. His attack complete, Arashi sailed over Byakuya and hit the floor without a sound, skidding on his knees to a stop.

Byakuya was in shock. The pain was bad, worse than it should have been. The open skin and cut bone burned, but it was as if a thousand wasps were attacking the wound. It burned and stung as if the boy's hatred was fused with the swing, but the nobleman kept his face beautifully straight. Yuroichi ran to the boy as Byakuya's sword sealed back into its form, pleased with its work. Kneeling on the warm flagstones of the courtyard, the boy trembled slightly, his wrist bent painfully to keep hold of the sword that dripped a captain's blood.

"Kid? Kid, are you alright?" Yuroichi called, not daring to touch any part of his body. The cuts were everywhere, weaving all over his torso, arms and face so that none of the kimono stayed together. The last few pieces of cloth fell from him as he shook, his eyes screwed tight shut. Strangely, she saw a small, dimly glowing amulet around his neck, the thin cord of string miraculously intact. Yuroichi felt a rush of hatred for Kuchiki; the cuts were not deep and next to no blood was being lost, but the boy must have been in agony.

"I... did it..." Arashi whispered before falling flat on his face, totally still. His sword clattered as it hit the stone, looking forlorn beside its wounded owner.

"Kisuke, get Unohana over here now!" Urahara nodded and his form blurred, the buzz of his flashstep stirring the boy. "Kid? Hey, can you hear me?"

"Leave him." Yuroichi had to refrain from slapping Byakuya, who loomed over her, "He deserves none of your pity. He must learn that what he does is wrong." Obviously knowing that she would retort, Byakuya turned and quickly walked away before she could get a word in. A petty, childish victory. Waiting for the calm medic captain to arrive, Yuroichi took hold of the hilt of the boy's zanbakto and gasped when a tiny static shock snapped at her. Strange, this blade had soul, it had power, but not like anything she had ever heard of. The longer she held the sword and waited in silence, the more worried she got; the sword was losing its will to fight her off, the perfect mirror of the strange boy's spiritual energy. The pressure was gone and now he was actually getting weaker?

"There's injured, Captain Shihōin?" Unohana almost sang from behind her as she arrived with Urahara, giving a little gasp as she laid eyes on Arashi. There was a clattering of rushing feet and several soldiers carefully lifted the boy onto a stretcher and rushed off in the direction of the squad 4 barracks, Yuroichi in pursuit with the kid's zanbakto. She'd be keeping a close eye on him from now on.

Urahara didn't doubt the ability of the fourth squad captain or her troops for a second. There was no one better than Unohana and her lieutenant, Isane Kotetsu, but that only made Urahara worry more.

"Well, his physical wounds are healing at a much slower rate than we're used to," Unohana said with a frown, "But what I'm concerned about is what this little boy did to make Captain Kuchiki hurt him like this." Arashi's cuts were slowing repairing, one by one, the skin stretching and closing the hundreds of slashes that laced across his chest. Urahara raised an eyebrow,

"This isn't any little boy, Captain. This little guy showed strength I've never seen someone so young ever show before. He proved to be quite the handful for me." Isane gave him a strange look and pursed her lips,

"You shouldn't make fun of him like that, 3rd seat Urahara, he can't help that he hasn't got any spiritual energy." A gentle tinkle interrupted the conversation and all eyes turned to the doorway. Yuroichi was standing with a zanbakto clicked out of its sheath, the slim woman examining it closely.

"There's no doubt about it, Lieutenant Kotetsu, this zanbakto carries traces of spiritual energy that match the boy's." Unohana watched the sword with a look of disapproval,

"That may be so, Captain, but I have been healing this boy for thirty minutes and-" The wooden building began to groan and a faint roar emitted from the boy, who started to shift on the bed. Isane gently placed her hands on his chest to keep him still and looked to her captain for instructions, but the boy started to writhe.

"Ow! Stings!" he grumbled, wincing and trying to throw the towering Isane off him, his sudden burst of pressure bending the building's support beams. "Where's Rukia? My head hurts!" he whined, his eyes starting to force open.

"I see he's awake." Everyone in the room jumped apart from Arashi. The two captains and their lieutenants turned and bowed to the sudden appearance of the head captain. "Excellent timing. Captain Unohana, is he recovering?"

"Well, sir, his physical wounds seem reluctant to heal but his spiritual energy seems to have... abandoned him for a time." Unohana finished unsurely. The old man nodded slowly, watching the boy tentatively run his fingers over his partially healed chest. As the boy started to clasp for the bed sheets and pull himself up, Unohana's eyes narrowed. She pointed to what looked like a claw on a string around his neck. "There is also this trinket, Captain. It seems... fused to the boy. Any attempt we made to lift it above his head was met with some kind of magnetic force, as if it didn't want to leave. Also... The further we heal him... I mean, I can't be sure, but the more spiritual energy he regains, the brighter this stone seems to be glowing." Yamamoto nodded again and ran a bony hand over his long beard, watching Arashi's eyes finally click open and stay open.

"Oh." was the only thing he squeaked tiredly before staggering out of bed and bending double in bow, falling forwards and hitting his knees with a small grunt. Yamamoto considered his next words carefully before laying his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Rai-chan, how did you do that?" Arashi looked up and Yamamoto could tell, from the intelligent flash in his dark eyes, that the boy knew exactly what he was talking about. Arashi stood on wobbly knees and set his face firm, clutching his pendant tightly.

"He said mean things about my Rukia. He called her a 'peasant' and made fun of us. I tried to kill him, sir." he added without breaking his momentum, looking Yamamoto dead in the eye, "He insulted her and I didn't care how much he hurt me, I just wanted to make sure he stopped breathing." The captains and lieutenants stood in shocked silence before the small boy and the head captain. Yamamoto sighed; every move this boy made, every word out of his mouth made him that much more perfect of a candidate for the task ahead. The old man took a deep breath and stood.

"Captain Shihōin, his sword." Yuroichi swiftly placed Arashi's zanbakto in its sheath and handed it to the head captain, who passed it to Arashi. "Your sister must be worried about you, Rai-chan. Shall we go and see her and show her what you can do?" Arashi's lip wobbled and he rubbed his neck unsurely.

"Um, sorry, Captain, but I kinda wanted to keep this whole thing away from my Ru-"

"But you wanted to be a Soul Reaper so you could protect her, right?" The persuasive, parental voice didn't suit the powerful, scowling old man at all, but Arashi seemed to be seeing something else, as he nodded obediently. Yamamoto took his lieutenant to one side and muttered discretely, "Lieutenant, fetch a kimono for this boy, find us in Hanging Dog as soon as possible and have the necessary paperwork ready. Captain Shihōin, find Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku and bring them with us. They're presence is needed." The Yuroichi and her 3rd seat nodded with a slightly baffled look and disappeared to the other barracks, leaving Unohana and Kotetsu standing forgotten. The head captain swept out of the room and headed for the outside, leaving a half-naked Arashi in silence with the two women. Something clicked in the boy's head and he realised that he had been healed by two genuine Soul Reapers, so he had to thank them the most sincere way he knew.

With the lightness of a sparrow, Arashi hopped onto the railings at the foot of his bed and leaned towards the two officers. He planted a light kiss on their cheeks and gave a quick 'thanks!' before hurrying after the head captain, leaving them blushing and bemused.

"Sweet boy." Unohana commented lightly, watching the silent doorway, "A little on the naive side, but a captain in the making." She hesitated for a moment and her towering lieutenant noticed all too easily. "But... I can't help but get the sense that Head Captain Yamamoto has something planned or him. I've never experienced such a strangely powerful and yet flawed body."

Rukia stood on a box in Hanging Dog market, her legs tired from standing on it for hours, but she refused to get down; Rai-chan would be along any second, she was sure of it. She had started to chew her nails in anxiety, what had happened? Was he hurt? Did he poke his eye out on something? That was probably it, that careless dummy was always walking into things. What if he never came back? What if they had decided to keep him there forever? What if that Soul Reaper with the ponytail that took him had decided to leave her in Hanging Dog and keep Arashi as _his_ little brother? She couldn't allow that, never; Raiden was her true brother. It was so rare for the souls of relatives to ever find each other, but Rai had stayed with her through life, through the precipice and was _not_ going to abandon her now.

She hopped down from her box, her temper burning at that Kuchiki guy. He had some nerve- A weight attached itself to her waist and she jumped, swatting at what she thought was a stray dog. When the creature backed off, she found that she had messed up Rai's hair to the point of it falling completely straight and covering his eyes.

"Hi to you too, Ru-chan." he mumbled, swiping his hands through his hair, trying to clear the static and failing. He sounded miserable. Rukia soon realised why. The street had grown quiet very quickly and Arashi's white and blue kimono was only half on, the rest exposing his pale skin that was weaved with hundreds of perfect thin cuts. His pendant was a little dimmer than it usually was, meaning he could have only been doing one thing. But that was not the end of the oddity. The cause of the silence was the hunched old man that loomed over her brother, his ancient face so full of wrinkles it made him look as if he was glaring through closed eyes. Surrounding him were other looming figures clothed in white, black and even a pink kimono, all looking at little Arashi expectantly.

"Um, this is her, sir. This is my sister, Rukia Arashi." Rukia searched her brother's face but he gave away nothing. The old hunched man was staring at her, as if trying to see into her very core. He was terrifying. A thin, sickly looking man with long white hair approached the old man and looked around with concern.

"Head Captain, this might be too much pressure for him with all of these people watching. He's only a child, after all."

"He has strength enough for this, Captain Ukitake. Do not underestimate him." The white haired man gave the back of Arashi's head a pitying look before back away again, setting the spotlight on the old man.

"Raiden, I want you to show you sister your shikai release." the old man ordered, "Go on. Prove to all of these captains that you are worthy of fighting for us and to your sister that you are worthy of protecting her." Rukia looked to her brother in confusion, who still had his eyes on the ground. He was already at shikai stage? When did he get his zanbakto, let alone have a chance to use it? Arashi sucked in a deep breath and sat down on the floor and crossed his legs, laying a scabbard that was far too big for him across his lap. He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as the silent street watched with curiosity. After all, Soul Reapers rarely passed through Hanging dog, let alone several captains and lieutenants. Even more reason to watch when they were about to witness what a Soul Reaper look like when they found the name of their zanbakto.

Arashi waited a few moments before opening his eyes, feeling a little irritated at the lack of action, but he was satisfied when he opened his eyes and found himself in a very strange world indeed. Arashi stood facing a wind that threatened to tear him apart, dragging his hair from his face and jetting the locks of white behind him. He stood on a strangely solid-spongy cloud that hovered miles above a sprawling white and gold city that sparkled beside a deep blue ocean. Arashi looked around, hearing the rage of the sky trying to deafen him. Felt the strength of the wind sting at his face and threaten to pull him from the cloud and hurl him to the ground below. So much danger, so far from the ground. One wrong move and he would have a very long fall. He adored it. This was the sky, the great open realm that watched over him through all hard times in Hanging Dog, the great canopy of beauty that made him feel safe.

Suddenly, there was a sniffle and a whoosh behind him. He turned his back to the wind and found that the fluffy platforms behind him were streaked to one side, as if something small had just burst through them.

"Hello?" Arashi called, trying to peer through the cloud. There was another sniffle, yet no movement. "Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry if I upset you." He stuck out his hand in greeting, "My name's Raiden."

"I know." Arashi cocked his head at the timid voice that replied to him as a body rose from the cloud. It was another boy, a golden crown sitting on top of tight curly blonde hair, or was it a halo? A ring of floating white. He wore a white robe, showing his skinny arms. He didn't look at Arashi, holding his arms close and keeping his big blue eyes on the cloud beneath him. Arashi decided that he liked this guy. He was dressed funny.

"So, do you live up here in the clouds?" Arashi asked, taking a step forwards. The boy nodded,

"Yes, but it's quite cold sometimes. When it rains, it gets freezing up here, but I'm not allowed down there." He nodded to the utopia beneath them. Arashi furrowed his brow, taking another step closer,

"How come? You're dressed all funny and you look like one of those buildings, shouldn't you fit right in?" The boy in the robe laughed and raised his head a little, only just meeting Arashi's eye.

"Life's quite simple for you, isn't it? You rely on your sister to be the brains and you just throw your weight around when you need to." His gaze dropped a little and his face sank into sadness as he found the thin lines of the healed cuts. "I'm sorry, you know. I wasn't fast enough to stop you from getting hurt." He covered the distance between himself and Arashi and laid his hand on Arashi's chest, tracing the lines. Arashi didn't feel at all compelled to swat him away. In fact, the touch felt strangely familiar.

"Sorry, but we've only just met. How come you know about Ru-chan and my fight?" The boy's eyes began to water and a sad smile met Arashi's puzzled gaze,

"You really do need her don't you? You're so dumb sometimes." His body shook a little as his face contorted and he started to sob quietly. It was only when the boy inhaled did Arashi truly jump at the situation. Instead of a shaky, cracked breath, the boy in the robe made a shrieking sound that cut across the sky and made Arashi jump. The boy turned his tear-stained face to Arashi, "I'm your zanbakto." Arashi took a moment to consider this before smiling,

"Oh, that makes sense. So... can you tell me your name so I can show you to Rukia?" The boy turned to Arashi and his lips moved, but the wind suddenly got stronger and the voice was drowned by the breath of the sky. "What?" The boy shook his head and leaned over Arashi shoulder, shouting over the wind into his ear,

"You can't hear me because you aren't ready to use me. Once you can feel my presence and hear my cry, you'll be ready." He didn't give a word move explanation before a wave of cloud suddenly washed over them like a great tsunami, drowning Arashi's vision. The wind was strong and the moisture from the clouds stung his eyes, making it impossible to see. He clamped his eyes tightly shut and shouted as loud as he could,

"Hey, kid? Where are you? I need to get back to the old man, where did you go?" The wind was his only reply, and it was a loud one. What did that weirdo mean, 'when you hear my cry?' Arashi couldn't hear a thing! What if he was trapped here? What if he would be forever lost, wandering the clouds above the white-gold utopia. Somewhere far off, a screech echoed. Arashi froze and turned to the sound, "Hello?" A few seconds of silence made him think that he was losing his mind. Arashi considered walking in one direction until he was out of the clouds, but something made him think that these clouds would never end. "Alright... I know what you want me to do. I'll play the game, if you really want me to." Arashi was always the winner in arm-wrestling contests, but that didn't have much etiquette. What he really took pride in was hide-and-seek, a game he won at relentlessly.

He had tried to explain his method of winning to Rukia before, but she hadn't got it. All he had to do was stay as still as possible, not moving a muscle. Then he stopped breathing, making sure that his lungs and heart were as quiet as possible. Then he just listened and everything seemed much louder than it had done before. He could tell what was going on all around him, eavesdrop on conversations from five streets away, listen the vendors of Hanging Dog market extort their buyers. But what was really useful was being able to hear the ragged breathing, tiny movements and even the thumping heart of the other kids who tried to hide.

"That's right," the boy's voice suddenly spoke to him through the wind, "But you wouldn't have won without me. That was me who helped you win, by the way. There's no way a soul could hear that well."

"Where are you? I can't tell!" Arashi bellowed, barely hearing his own voice, yet perfectly understanding the boy's shaking voice in the back of his head.

"You were doing fine a second ago. Go on, reach out to me with your soul. Once you can use my ears, you'll hear my voice." Arashi was starting to shiver as the clouds soaked his bare skin, but he tried his best to make his entire body still. He felt his sense of hearing heighten and he forgot everything else. He forgot what the inside of his eyelids looked like, he forgot the icy biting of the vapour around him. All he felt was the harsh thud of pain as the roar of the wind damaged his ear drums. But there was something else, an echoing sound. The crying of a bird of prey. The boy, Arashi's zanbakto, was somewhere to his left. With eyes still closed, Arashi turned and strode confidently towards the noise. For minutes on end, he waded through the numbing vapour and felt his head pound, but he pushed on, all the time getting closer to the harsh screech in the maze of swirls.

Finally, he came to a tiny clearing of cloud and found the strange boy sitting and hugging his knees, his bowed head shaking gently as he sobbed quietly. He raised his head and took a breath, the screeching as loud as ever. Arashi coughed hard, the moisture in his lungs making his chest tighten. The boy sniffled and wiped his eyes, standing to meet the young Soul Reaper.

"You found me. You listened for my voice and you found me." His wobbly smile appeared again and he brushed at his eyes again. "Well, Raiden, my name is Raisō, the 'Lightning Talon.'" The boy tilted his head in thought, "Raiden... The god of thunder. Arashi, the storm." He gave a little giggle and held out his hand, "The God of the Thunder Storm and his Lightning Talon." Arashi shook the boy's hand. He felt whole, as if something that was lost had returned to him. Arashi pouted in thought and looked Raisō in his watery eyes.

"But, isn't there something I have to say to make you, you know, fight?" Raisō smiled and nodded. He swished away some of the clouds and pointed down to the utopian city below with a sudden, solemn look.

"Gaze upon perfection, my Master Raiden, for it is fleeting. The creatures below have brought sin to paradise and darkness upon the inhabitants. Even the most beautiful beings have become twisted and corrupt and the only refuge," Raisō held out his arms, "Is here, far away. It needs to be destroyed, Master. We need to clear the infection, destroy the darkness before it has a chance to spread." Raisō walked to the edge of the cloud, removed his crown, threw it to Arashi and waited. "Command me, Raiden. You know how." Arashi held the golden crown in his hand thoughtfully before pointing to the domed building far below. There they were, tiny black dots spilling out like locusts, covering the white-gold city. They had to be stopped.

It may have been the sake talking, but Shunsui could swear that the kid's zanbakto was starting to glow. Even from within its scabbard, light was forcing through.

"This is it," Yuroichi, starting to smile, "He's got it!" Still in the trance of his mind, Arashi stood with eyes closed and threw his sword from its scabbard high into the air, catching it with ease. He took a deep breath, holding the blade tightly with both hands before his dark eyes burst into life,

"Now, Raisō! Raze the Heavens!" he screamed. Everyone around grunted and shielded their eyes, the light of the world dying away in the face of the bright white-blue blade that began shining. As eight fins grinded into existence from the katana, Yamamoto could almost hear a bird screeching. The civilians all jumped in unison as the light began to die down, revealing the glowing blade and the hovering ring of energy that had replaced the guard. Arashi's eyes opened and a smile down on his illuminated face. He brought the biting blade close to his face and ran his fingers along the flat edge, sending sparks flying as if his skin were made of stone. His smile grew wider as a harsh snap cracked from his boot and an arc of white-blue electricity darted over his skin and disappeared just as fast. He began to laugh, slowly swaying the blade from side to side, loosing sparks and arcs at every sudden movement, like a faulty power pylon with a sword.

"Raiden Arashi." Yamamoto boomed, summoning the streets attention. The boy turned, his smile illuminated by Raisō, "You have reached the level of shikai without training, proving that you have talents that far exceed that of a normal Soul Reaper in training. Therefore, as Head Captain, I am promoting you to the position of 7th Seat Officer of 6th Squad under the command of Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. You will be tutored by the unit, training officers and captains from now on until you have mastered all of the lessons you have missed by bypassing Soul Reaper Academy. Is this clear?" Raiden nodded, grinning as the 1st Squad lieutenant, whose arm was still bandaged, handed him a folded black kimono and some papers. "Welcome to the Soul Reapers, Officer Arashi."


End file.
